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Glite Dictionary
Afrasian language

Afrasian language

9.1
A language from a large family spoken in North Africa and parts of Western Asia
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : lengua afrasia
  • The Afrasian language family includes languages such as Arabic and Amharic.

Examples

  • Many modern Ethiopians speak an Afrasian language such as Amharic.

  • The ancient Egyptian script was an early form of an Afrasian language.

  • Linguists study the characteristics shared across Afrasian languages.

  • Many people in Egypt speak an Afrasian language.

  • Many modern Ethiopians speak an Afrasian language such as Amharic.

  • The Afrasian language family includes languages such as Arabic and Amharic.

  • Linguists study the characteristics shared across Afrasian languages.

Synonyms

Afroasiatic language
vsAfrasian language
  • Specialized
9.1

A group of related languages spoken in North Africa and Western Asia, like Arabic and Hebrew

is the alternative name for the same language family

Surface Forms

Afrasian language singular
Afrasian languages plural

Morphology

Afrasian + language

This is a regular adjective+noun composition: 'Afrasian' names a language-family and 'language' names a speech system, so the phrase denotes a language that belongs to the Afrasian family. The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Afrasian language is a name made by joining the words 'Africa' and 'Asia', because these languages are spoken in North Africa and in parts of Asia. So the name helps you remember it means a language from that large family found in both places.