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Glite Dictionary
Phoenician language

Phoenician language

1 9.9
An old language once spoken by people of ancient coastal cities in the eastern Mediterranean that is no longer spoken
  • noun
  • Specialized
: lengua fenicia
  • As one of the earliest alphabetic systems, the Phoenician language greatly influenced later writing systems.

Examples

  • The inscriptions on ancient artifacts provide valuable insights into the structure of the Phoenician language.

  • Scholars have studied the Phoenician language to learn more about the trade routes of the ancient Mediterranean.

  • Note that 'and' were originally full consonants in the Phoenician language (glottal stop and voiced pharyngeal, respectively).

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Synonyms

Phoenician
vsPhoenician language
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An ancient language no longer spoken that was used around the eastern Mediterranean

continued in use longer, until about the 2nd century CE

Surface Forms

Phoenician language singular
Phoenician languages plural

Morphology

Phoenician + language

The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'Phoenician' (denoting the people/adjective) + 'language' yields 'the language of the Phoenicians'. This genitive 'X language' construction is cross-linguistically common and immediately interpretable by learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

Phoenician language gets its name from the people called the Phoenicians, who long ago were famous for a rich 'purple' dye they sold across the Mediterranean. That's why the name refers to the language those ancient traders spoke.