Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual

by Patrick R. Bennett

As the title indicates, this unique resource is a manual on comparative linguistics, with the examples taken exclusively from Semitic languages. It is an innovative volume that recalls the earlier tradition of textbooks of comparative philology, which, however, exclusively treated Indo-European languages. It is suited for students with at least a year of a Semitic language. By far the largest component of the book are the nine wordlists that provide the data to be manipulated by the student. Says reviewer Peter Daniels, the wordlists “constitute a unique resource for all of comparative linguistics―a considerable quantity of uniform data from a host of related languages. They would be useful for any class in comparative linguistics, not just for those interested specifically in Semitic.” Scattered throughout the text are 25 exercises based on the wordlists that provide a good introduction to the methods of comparativists. Also included are paradigms of the phonological systems of ten Semitic languages as well as Coptic and a form of Berber. A bibliography that guides the student into further reading in Semitic linguistics completes the volume.

Genres: Linguistics

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of significant value not in terms of an overview of Semitic comparative linguistics, but rather as a workbook for developing skills and concepts in the field of comparative linguistics generally.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patrick R. Bennett’s Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual is a curious presentation of this language family. Rather than explain the historical development of the attested Semitic languages out of a reconstructed Proto-Semitic, he gives a long series of wordlists, paradigms and isoglosses (200 pages worth) and then expects the reader to do the reconstruction himself in a series of exercises. The first several pages are a crash course in historical linguistics to prepare you to do this, but I think readers without any prior experience in the subject will be daunted.

I suppose that the only intended audience for Bennett’s book is a university comparative linguistics course where, for whatever reason, the instructor has decided to use Semitic as the reference family. If you are someone who already has extensive experience with historical linguistics and are looking for the same kind of diachronic description common in books on e.g. Indo-European, then you’ll be very disappointed. You can learn a great deal of trivia from the book, but you would find better presentations elsewhere (e.g. Moscati, dated but decent for the neophyte, or the more ample description by Lipinski).

[Robert Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful, but very light on the diachronics. I could've done with less comparisons and more phonological processes.