Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ṯalāṯ-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic

Etymology

Perhaps cognate with Egyptian ḫmtw, as are *ṯamāniy- and ḫmnw.

Numeral

**Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)**
← 2	3	4 →
Cardinal: *ṯalāṯ-

*ṯalāṯ-

three

Reconstruction notes

Lipiński reconstructs *śalāṯ- to account for the Ethiopian Semitic and Modern South Arabian forms, and posits that the other Semitic languages underwent regressive assimilation of the first radical, but unless this variation was present at the level of Proto-Semitic, it is more parsimonious to assume that those languages underwent dissimilation instead.

Usage notes

This number exhibited chiastic concord (gender polarity), in which masculine forms were used to agree with feminine nouns, and feminine forms with masculine nouns.

Inflection

Declension of *ṯalāṯ-
Case	m	f
Nominative	*ṯalāṯum	*ṯalāṯatum
Accusative	*ṯalāṯam	*ṯalāṯatam
Genitive	*ṯalāṯim	*ṯalāṯatim

Derived terms

*ṯalāṯ-um (nominative absolute)
- East Semitic:
  - Akkadian: 𒐈 (šalāšum)
- West Semitic:
  - Central Semitic:
    - Arabic: ثَلَاث (ṯalāṯ)
      - Egyptian Arabic: تلات (talat)
      - Maltese: tliet
      - Moroccan Arabic: تلات (tlāt)
      - North Levantine Arabic: تلات (tlāt)
    - Proto-Northwest Semitic: *ṯalāṯum^[1]
      - Old Aramaic: 𐤔𐤋𐤔 f (šlš /⁠ṯalāṯ⁠/)
        Imperial Aramaic: 𐡕𐡋𐡕 f (tlt /⁠talāṯ⁠/)
        
        Biblical Aramaic: תלת f (tlt /⁠talāṯ⁠/)
        
        Samaritan Aramaic: ࠕࠟࠋࠠࠕ f (talāt)
        
        Classical Syriac: ܬܠܵܬ݂ f (tlāṯ)
        
        Turoyo: ܬܠܳܬ݂ f (tloṯ)
        
        Western Neo-Aramaic: ܐܶܬ݂ܠܰܬ݂ f (ʾeṯlaṯ)
      - Proto-Canaanite: *šalōš
        Biblical Hebrew: שָׁלֹשׁ (šālōš)^[1]
        Israeli Hebrew: שָׁלוֹשׁ (shalósh)
        
        Phoenician: 𐤔𐤋𐤔 (šlš /⁠šalōš⁠/)
        Punic: 𐤔𐤋𐤔 (šlš /⁠salys⁠/)
      - Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎍𐎘 (ṯlṯ /⁠ṯalāṯu⁠/)
    - Old South Arabian:
      - Hadrami: 𐩦𐩡𐩯𐩣 (s₂ls₃m /⁠śalāsum⁠/)
      - Sabaean: 𐩻𐩡𐩻 (ṯlṯ), 𐩦𐩡𐩻 (s₂lṯ) (early Sabaic)
      - Minaean: 𐩦𐩠𐩡𐩻 f (s₂hlṯ)
  - Ethiopian Semitic:
    - Ge'ez: ሠላስ (śalās)
  - Modern South Arabian:
    - Mehri: śāṯayt, śaʕṯayt (Mahriyōt)
*ṯalāṯ-at-um (nominative absolute with *-at- suffix)
- East Semitic:
  - Akkadian: 𒐈 (šalāštum)
- West Semitic:
  - Central Semitic
    - Arabic: ثَلَاثَة (ṯalāṯa)
      - Egyptian Arabic: تلاتة (talāta)
      - Maltese: tlieta
      - Moroccan Arabic: تلاتة (tlāta)
      - North Levantine Arabic: تلاتة (tlāte)
    - Proto-Northwest Semitic: *ṯalāṯatum^[1]
      - Old Aramaic: 𐤔𐤋𐤔𐤄 m (šlšh /⁠ṯalāṯah⁠/)
        Imperial Aramaic: 𐡕𐡋𐡕𐡄 m (tlth /⁠talāṯā⁠/)
        
        Biblical Aramaic: תלתא m (tltʾ /⁠talāṯā⁠/)
        
        Samaritan Aramaic: ࠕࠟࠋࠟࠕࠠࠄ m (talāta)
        
        Classical Syriac: ܬܠܵܬ݂ܵܐ m (tlāṯa)
        
        Classical Mandaic: ࡕࡋࡀࡕࡀ m (tlāṯa)
        Mandaic: ࡊࡋࡀࡕ࡙ࡀ m (klɔ̄ṯɔ)
        
        Turoyo: ܬܠܳܬ݂ܳܐ m (tloṯo)
        
        Western Neo-Aramaic: ܬ݂ܠܳܬ݂ܰܐ m (ṯlōṯa)
      - Proto-Canaanite: *šalōšat
        Biblical Hebrew: שְׁלֹשָׁה (šəlōšâ)^[1]
        Israeli Hebrew: שְׁלוֹשָׁה (sh'loshá)
        
        Phoenician: 𐤔𐤋𐤔𐤕 (šlšt /⁠šalōšat⁠/)
      - Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎍𐎘𐎚 (ṯlṯt /⁠ṯalāṯatu⁠/)
    - Old South Arabian:
      - Hadrami: 𐩦𐩡𐩯𐩩𐩣 (s₂ls₃tm /⁠śalāsatum⁠/)
      - Sabaean: 𐩻𐩡𐩻𐩩 (ṯlṯt)
  - Ethiopian Semitic:
    - Amharic: ሦስት (sost)
    - Ge'ez: ሠለስቱ (śalastu)
    - Tigre: ሰለስ (salas)
    - Tigrinya: ሰለስተ (salasta)
  - Modern South Arabian:
    - Mehri: śhəlīṯ

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Benjamin D. Suchard (2019) “A Concise Historical Morphology of Biblical Hebrew”, in The Development of the Biblical Hebrew Vowels‎, Brill, →ISBN, page 243

Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN
Lipiński, Edward (2001) Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 80), 2nd edition, Leuven: Peeters, →ISBN

[Suchard2019-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Benjamin D. Suchard (2019) “A Concise Historical Morphology of Biblical Hebrew”, in The Development of the Biblical Hebrew Vowels‎, Brill, →ISBN, page 243

[1]

Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ṯalāṯ-

Contents