Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔahl-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Etymology

Posited by Dolgopolsky as a cognate to a South Cushitic *ʾáŝa (“hut, shelter”) found in Iraqw islaangw (“watch-hut in a field”), to the consonant onset of which according to him there a cluster of a voiceless guttural fricative and voiced alveolar lateral approximant gets resolved. Possibly also related to Afar and Somali aqal (“hut, house”).

Noun

*ʔahl- m

1. tent camp

Inflection

Declension of *ʔahl-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ʔahlum	*ʔahlāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ʔahlam	*ʔahlayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ʔahlim
possessive forms
1st person	*ʔahlī / *ʔahlVya	—	*ʔahlVni
2nd person m	*ʔahlVka	*ʔahlVkumā / *ʔahlVkumay	*ʔahlVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*ʔahlVki		*ʔahlVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*ʔahlVšu	*ʔahlVšumā / *ʔahlVšumay	*ʔahlVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*ʔahlVša		*ʔahlVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *ʔahluya for nom. case, *ʔahliya for gen. case, *ʔahlaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒌷 (ālum)
  • Eblaite: 𒀀𒂍𒈤 (a-ʾà-al₆, “city”)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: أَهْل (ʔahl, “kinfolk”)
      • Judeo-Arabic: אהל (ʾahlun)
      • → Afar: áhli, aháli
      • → Hatran Aramaic: 𐣠𐣤𐣫 (ʾhl, “family”)
      • → Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܐܗܠ (ʾhl, “family”)
      • → Azerbaijani: əhl
      • → Persian: اهل (ahl)
      • → Sindhi: اهل (ahl)
      • → Swahili: ahali
      • → Ottoman Turkish: اهل (ehl)
      • → Uzbek: ahl
      • → Uyghur: ئەھل (ehl)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Amorite: [Term?] (/⁠ʾahlum⁠/, “tent”)
      • Aramaic:

        Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: אהיל

        Jewish Literary Aramaic: אׇהֲלָא (ʾāhălā)

        Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אֹוהְלָא (ʾōhəlā, “tent”)

        Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢁𐢇𐢑 (“tent”)

        Classical Syriac: ܝܗܠܐ (yahlā, “clan, group, cohort”)

        • → Akkadian: 𒀪𒇻 (/⁠aʾlu⁠/, “confederation”)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: (“tent”)

          Palestinian vocalization: אַהֶל (ʾahel)

          Tiberian vocalization: אֹהֶל (óhel, ʾṓhel)

        • Phoenician: 𐤀𐤄𐤋 (ʾhl)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎅𐎍 (ảhl /⁠ʾahlu⁠/, “tent”)
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Minaean: 𐩱𐩠𐩡 (ʾhl, “community, folk”)
      • Qatabanian: 𐩱𐩠𐩡 (ʾhl, “community, folk”)
      • Sabaean: 𐩱𐩠𐩡 (ʾhl, “community, folk”)
    • Dadanitic: 𐪑𐪀𐪁 (ʾhl)
    • Safaitic: 𐪑𐪁 (ʾl)
    • Thamudic: 𐪑𐪀𐪁 (ʾhl), 𐪑𐪁 (ʾl)
• → Egyptian: jhjr (“tent”)

References

• Dolgopolsky, Aron Borisovich (1987) “South Cushitic Lateral Consonants as Compared to Semitic and East Cushitic”, in Herrmann Jungraithmayr, Walter W. Müller, editor, Proceedings of the Fourth International Hamito-Semitic Congress, Marburg, 20–22 September, 1983, Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 206 of 195–214
• Guidi, Ignazio (1879) Della sede primitiva dei popoli semitici (in Italian), Rome: Tipi del Salviucci, page 31
• Hoch, James E. (1994) Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period, Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 31, Nr. 24