Editing Semitic languages (section)

==== Plain Sibilants ====
Sibilants have been one of the aspects of Semitic phonology that historical linguists have taken the most interest in, and Semiticists are nearly unanimous in the opinion that Proto-Semitic contained three plain sibilants, referred to by the shorthand S<small>1</small>, S<small>2</small>, and S<small>3</small>, or as š, ś, and s. The realizations of these phonemes in earlier times is debated, with hypotheses ranging from a palatal {{IPAblink|ɕ}} for S<small>1,</small> and {{IPAblink|s̠}} or {{IPA|[ts]}} for S<small>3</small>, to plain {{IPA|[ʃ]}} for S<small>1</small> and {{IPA|[s]}} for S<small>3.</small> 

Interestingly, the point of least controversy is the realization of S<small>2</small>, widely accepted to be lateral {{IPA|[ɬ]}}, In spite of the fact that this phoneme has completely merged with S<small>1</small> or S<small>3</small> in every other Semitic language outside of Modern South Arabian languages, such that the most widely-spoken Semitic languages (Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya) have a two-way sibilant distinction rather than the original three-way distinction. This merger occurred at different times, and in different ways across Semitic which has lead to the non-correspondence of, for example, Arabic, Hebrew and Shehri (Jibbali) words for ‘ten’ from Proto-Semitic (ʕ-s₂-r).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brewster |first=Jarred |date=2021 |title=Language contact and covert prominence in the SḤERĒT-JIBBĀLI language of Oman |url=https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=ltt_etds |journal=Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics |pages=26, 27}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Proto-Semitic
|ʕ-s₂-r
|-
!Arabic
|{{IPA|/ʕa.ʃa.ra(t)/}}
|-
!Hebrew
|{{IPA|/ʕa.sa.ra(t)/}}
|-
![[Shehri language|Shehri]] (Jibbali)
|{{IPA|/ʕə.ɬɛ.ret/}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |Proto-Semitic
![[Old South Arabian|Old South]]
[[Old South Arabian|Arabian]]
![[Ancient North Arabian|Old North]]
[[Ancient North Arabian|Arabian]]
![[Modern South Arabian languages|Modern South]]
[[Modern South Arabian languages|Arabian]]
! colspan="2" |[[Modern Standard Arabic|Standard]]
[[Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]]
! colspan="2" |[[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
! colspan="2" |[[Modern Hebrew|Modern]]
[[Modern Hebrew|Hebrew]]
! colspan="2" |[[Geʽez|Ge'ez]]
! colspan="2" |[[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]
![[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]
|-
!s₃ (s)
!{{IPA|[s] / [ts]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩯}}
|𐪏
|{{IPA|/s/}}
| rowspan="2" |<big>{{script|Arab|س|label=none}}</big>
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA|/s/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ס}}
|s
|{{script|Hebrew|ס}}
|{{IPA|/s/}}
| rowspan="2" |{{script|Ethi|ሰ}}
| rowspan="2" |s
|{{script|Phnx|𐤎}}
|s
|s
|-
!s₁ (š)
!{{IPA|[ʃ] / [s]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩪}}
|𐪊
|{{IPA|/ʃ/}}, <small>sometimes</small> {{IPA|/h/}}<sup>1</sup>
|{{script|Hebrew|ש}}
|š
|{{script|Hebrew|שׁ}}
|{{IPA|/ʃ/}}
| rowspan="2" |{{script|Phnx|𐤔}}
| rowspan="2" |š
| rowspan="2" |š
|-
!s₂ (ś)
!{{IPA|[ɬ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩦}}
|𐪆
|{{IPA|/ɬ/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ش|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/ʃ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ס}}
|s
|{{script|Hebrew|שׂ}}
|{{IPA|/s/}}
|{{script|Ethi|ሠ}}
|ś
|}
Notes: s₁ (š) is {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, <small>sometimes</small> {{IPA|[h]}} and {{IPA|[j<sup>ɦ</sup>]}} (in [[Soqotri language|Soqotri]]) - {{IPA|[ʃ]}} and {{IPA|[ɕ<sup>w</sup>]}} (for some speakers of [[Shehri language|Jibbali]]).

The following table shows the development of the various fricatives in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic and Maltese through cognate words:
<div style="max-width:100%; overflow:auto;">
{| class="wikitable" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
! rowspan="2" | Proto-Semitic
! rowspan="2" |(General) Modern<br/>South Arabian 
! rowspan="2" | Arabic
! rowspan="2" |Maltese
! rowspan="2" | Aramaic
! rowspan="2" | Hebrew
! colspan="5" | Examples
|-
! Arabic
!Maltese
! Aramaic
! Hebrew
! meaning
|-
! {{IPA|*/ð/}} [[Ḏāl|*ḏ]]
|{{IPA|*/ð/}}
| {{IPA|*/ð/}} ذ
|{{IPA|*/d/}} d
| {{IPA|*/d/}} ד
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/z/}} ז
| ذهب <br/> ذَكَر
|deheb
–
| '''ד'''הב<br />דכרא
| '''ז'''הב<br />זָכָר
| 'gold'<br/>'male'
|-
! {{IPA|*/z/}}<sup>1</sup> [[Zayin|*z]]
|{{IPA|*/z/}}
| {{IPA|*/z/}} ز
|{{IPA|*/z/}} ż
| {{IPA|*/z/}} ז
| موازين <br/> زمن
|miżien
żmien
| מא'''ז'''נין<br />זמן
| מא'''ז'''נים<br />זמן
| 'scale'<br/>'time'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ɬ/}} [[Shin (letter)|*ś]] (s<sub>2</sub>)
|{{IPA|*/ɬ/}}
| {{IPA|*/ʃ/}} ش
|{{IPA|*/ʃ/}} x
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/s/}} ס
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/s/}} ש ,ס
| عشر
شهر
|għaxra
xahar
| עֲסַר
| עשׂר
סהר
| 'ten'
'moon/month'
|-
! {{IPA|*/s/}} [[Samekh|*s]] (s<sub>3</sub>)
|{{IPA|*/s/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/s/}} س
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA|*/s/}} s
| سكين 
|sikkina
| סכין
| סכין
| 'knife'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ʃ/}} [[Shin (letter)|*š]] (s<sub>1</sub>)
|{{IPA|*/ʃ/}}
| {{IPA|*/ʃ/}} שׁ
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/ʃ/}} שׁ
| سنة <br/> سلام
|sena
sliem
| '''שׁ'''נה<br />שלם
| '''שׁ'''נה<br />שלום
| 'year'<br/>'peace'
|-
! {{IPA|*/θ/}} [[Ṯāʾ|*ṯ]]
|{{IPA|*/θ/}}
| {{IPA|*/θ/}} ث
|{{IPA|*/t/}} t
| {{IPA|*/t/}} ת
| ثلاثة <br/> اثنان
|tlieta
tnejn
| תלת<br />תרין
| שלוש<br />שתים
| 'three'<br/>'two'
|-
! {{IPA|*/θʼ/}}<sup>1</sup> [[Ẓāʾ|*ṱ]]
|{{IPA|*/θʼ ~ ðʼ/}}
| {{IPA|*/ðˤ/}} ظ
|{{IPA|*/d/}} d
| {{IPA|*/tʼ/}} ט
| rowspan="3" | {{IPA|*/sˤ~ts/}}<sup>1</sup> צ
| ظل <br/> ظهر
|dell
–
| '''ט'''לה<br />טהרא
| '''צ'''ל<br />'''צ'''הרים
| 'shadow'<br/>'noon'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ɬʼ/}}<sup>1</sup> [[Ḍād|*ṣ́]]
|{{IPA|*/ɬʼ/}}
| {{IPA|*/dˤ/}} ض
|{{IPA|*/t/}} t
{{IPA|*/d/}} d
| {{IPA|*/ʕ/ ע}}
| أرض <br/> ضحك
|art
daħaq
| ארע<br />'''ע'''חק
| אר'''ץ'''<br />'''צ'''חק
| 'land'<br/>'laughed'
|-
! {{IPA|*/sʼ/}}<sup>1</sup> [[Tsade|*ṣ]]
|{{IPA|*/sʼ/}}
| {{IPA|*/sˤ/}} ص
|{{IPA|*/s/}} s
| {{IPA|*/sʼ/}} צ
| صرخ <br/> صبر
|
| '''צ'''רח<br />צבר
| '''צ'''רח<br />צבר
| 'shout'<br/>'watermelon-like plant'
|-
! {{IPA|*/χ/}} [[Ḫāʾ|*ḫ]]
|{{IPA|*/χ/}}
|{{IPA|*/x~χ/}} خ
|{{IPA|*/ħ/}} ħ
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/ħ/}} ח
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/ħ~χ/}} ח
| خمسة <br/> صرخ
|ħamsa
–
| חַמְשָׁה<br />צר'''ח'''
| חֲמִשָּׁה<br />צר'''ח'''
| 'five'<br/>'shout'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ħ/}} [[Heth|*ḥ]]
|{{IPA|*/ħ/}}
| {{IPA|*/ħ/}} ح
|{{IPA|*/ħ/}} ħ
| ملح<br />حلم
|melħ
ħolm
| מל'''ח'''<br />חלם
| מל'''ח''' <br/> חלום
| 'salt'<br/>'dream'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ʁ/}} [[Ghayn|*ġ]]
|{{IPA|*/ʁ/}}
|{{IPA|*/ɣ~ʁ/}} غ
|*/[[Pharyngealization|ˤ]][[Length (phonetics)|ː]]/ għ
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/ʕ/}} ע
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|*/ʕ~ʔ/}} ע
| غراب <br/> غرب
|għorab
għarb
| ערב<br />מערב
| עורב<br />מערב
| 'raven'<br/>'west'
|-
! {{IPA|*/ʕ/}} [[Ayin|*ʻ]]
|{{IPA|*/ʕ/}}
| {{IPA|*/ʕ/}} ع
|*/[[Pharyngealization|ˤ]][[Length (phonetics)|ː]]/ għ
| عبد<br />سبعة
|għabid
sebgħa
| '''ע'''בד<br />שבע
| '''ע'''בד <br/> שבע
| 'slave'<br/>'seven'
|}
</div>
# <small>possibly affricated (/dz/ /tɬʼ/ /ʦʼ/ /tθʼ/ /tɬ/)</small>