The Definite Articles in the Semitic Languages: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In languages, definite articles have great importance in revealing the essence of the speech and its connotations.  These definite articles contribute to the coherence of the linguistic text because they show the purpose behind the meanings and denotations.  Without them, the speakers' words would be vague and suspicious.This study aims at defining  the use of definite articles in the group of Semitic languages.   The language texts of the discovered archeological scripts of these languages, which were recognized as geographically Semitic,  were found out by a group of specialized archeologists and orientalists, and are considered in this study.The study has completely surveyed the use of definite articles in the Semitic languages.  Arabic and its main dialects used the articles (AL, HA, HN, AM), whereas Phoenician and Hebrew used (HA).   Ancient Aramaic and its Assyrian vernacular used long (A~) at the endings of names.   Acadian, Ugaritian, and Ethiopian, however, did not show any use of the articles.

Keywords: Definite Articles, (AL) (HA)  (HN) (AM), long (A~) at the endings of names.