The Phoenician Alphabet & Language

Article

Thamis
by
published on 18 January 2012
Available in other languages: Arabic, French, Persian, Serbian, Spanish
Subscribe to topic Subscribe to author Print Article

Phoenician is a Canaanite language closely related to Hebrew. Very little is known about the Canaanite language, except what can be gathered from the El-Amarna letters written by Canaanite kings to Pharaohs Amenhopis III (1402 - 1364 BCE) and Akhenaton (1364 - 1347 BCE). It appears that the Phoenician language, culture, and writing were strongly influenced by Egypt (which controlled Phoenicia for a long time), as king Rib-Adda of Byblos admits in one of his letters to the pharaoh.

Phoenician Oblelisk from Cyprus
Phoenician Oblelisk from Cyprus
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright)

Egyptian & Cuneiform Influence

Our knowledge of the Phoenician language is based on the few extant written texts in Phoenician. Before circa 1000 BCE Phoenician was written using cuneiform symbols that were common across Mesopotamia. The first signs of the Phoenician alphabet found at Byblos are clearly derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics, and not from cuneiform. The 22 Phoenician letters are simplifications of Egyptian hieroglyphic symbols, which took on a standardized form at the end of the 12th century BCE. Like Hebrew and Arabic, Phoenician was written from right to left, and vowels were omitted (which makes deciphering Phoenician even harder).

Remove Ads
Advertisement
Phoenician was written from right to left, & vowels were omitted.

Similarities to Hebrew

By 1000 BCE the Phoenician and Hebrew languages had become distinct from Aramaic, which was spoken in Canaan. To give a few examples, the "ha-" prefix is used in both Phoenician and Hebrew to indicate a determinate noun, while in Aramaic the "-a" suffix is used. The pronoun for the first person is "ānōkī" while in Aramaic it is "anā" (as it is in modern Arabic). The word for "son" is "bar" in Aramaic but "ben" is Phoenician and Hebrew. Nonetheless there are differences between Hebrew and Phoenician: The verbs for "to be" and "to do" differ and the long "a" sound in Hebrew is pronounced "o" in Phoenician, for example.

Phoenician Alphabet
Phoenician Alphabet
Ansgar (Public Domain)

Evolution

The Phoenician writing system is, by virtue of being an alphabet, simple and easy to learn, and also very adaptable to other languages, quite unlike cuneiform or hieroglyphics. In the 9th century BCE the Aramaeans had adopted the Phoenician alphabet, added symbols for the initial "aleph" and for long vowels. This Aramaic alphabet eventually turned into modern Arabic. By the 8th century BCE, texts written in the Phoenician alphabet whose authors were probably not Phoenician appeared in Cilicia in southern Asia Minor and in northern Syria. Eventually the Greeks, who were in close trading contact with the Levant, adopted the Phoenician alphabet, added vowel sounds, and thus created the Greek alphabet (upon which our modern Latin alphabet is based).

Remove Ads
Advertisement

Did you like this article?
Editorial Review This article has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our editorial policy.
Remove Ads
Advertisement

Bibliography

  • Gras, M, P. Rouillard, J. Teixidor. L'univers phénicien. Hachette, 2006

Translations

Arabic French Persian Serbian Spanish

We want people all over the world to learn about history. Help us and translate this article into another language!

Free for the World, Supported by You

World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Please support free history education for millions of learners worldwide for only $5 per month by becoming a member. Thank you!

Become a Member  

Cite This Work

APA Style

Thamis. (2012, January 18). The Phoenician Alphabet & Language. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/17/the-phoenician-alphabet--language/

Chicago Style

Thamis. "The Phoenician Alphabet & Language." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 18, 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/17/the-phoenician-alphabet--language/.

MLA Style

Thamis. "The Phoenician Alphabet & Language." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Jan 2012. Web. 30 Oct 2024.

Membership