Amorite language


Amorite is an extinct early Semitic language, formerly spoken during the Bronze Age by the Amorite tribes prominent in ancient Near Eastern history. It is known from Ugaritic, classed by some as its westernmost dialect and the only known Amorite dialect preserved in writing, and non-Akkadian proper names recorded by Akkadian scribes during periods of Amorite rule in Babylonia, notably from Mari and to a lesser extent Alalakh, Tell Harmal and Khafajah. Occasionally, such names are also found in early Egyptian texts; and one placename, "Sənīr" سنير for Mount Hermon, is known from the Bible.
Amorite is considered an archaic Northwest Semitic language, but there is also some evidence for other groupings.
Notable characteristics include the following: