Traditional general term for a dialect group of north-west Semitic, spoken and written in Syria, Palestine and in the Mediterranean (c. 10th cent. BC to today; with proto-Canaanite precursors). Canaanite includes Phoenician, the closely related Ammonite, Punic as a late further development of Phoenician, Edomite as a link between Phoenician and Hebrew (the Canaanite dialect passed down best and longest) and Moabite, which is close to Hebrew. The existence of additional local dialects is still a matter of contention.
Canaanite(95 words)
Cite this page
Müller-Kessler, Christa (Emskirchen), “Canaanite”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e607920>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510
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