Samalian language


Samalian was a Semitic language spoken in Sam'al.
Samalian is primarily known from three inscriptions, two known as the Panamuwa inscriptions, unearthed in the late 19th century, and a third known as the Katumuwa inscription, unearthed in 2008.

Classification

Among the Semitic languages, Samalian shows most similarities to Aramaic. It has been earlier often considered an outright early dialect of Aramaic, possibly influenced by Canaanite. Strong evidence is however absent, and Samalian is best considered an independent member of the Northwest Semitic group, or, together with the Deir Alla Inscription, a sister variety of Aramaic in an "Aramoid" or "Syrian" group.

Linguistic features

Features connecting Samalian with Aramaic include:
Pat-El & Wilson-Wright propose as additional general characteristics of Samalian the development of nasal vowels, as expected word-final n after long vowels is systematically absent in the Panamuwa inscriptions; as well as an object marker wt, cognate with Aramean ləwāt 'with'.