Reconstructing Proto-Afroasiatic (Proto-Afrasian)

Download or read book Reconstructing Proto-Afroasiatic (Proto-Afrasian) written by Christopher Ehret and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1995-08-30 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work provides the first truly comprehensive and systematic reconstruction of proto-Afroasiatic (proto-Afrasian). It rigorously applies, throughout, the established canon and techniques of the historical-comparative method. It also fully incorporates the most up-to-date evidence from the distinctive African branches of the family, Cushitic, Chadic, and Omotic. Using concrete and specific evidence and argument, the author proposes full vowel and consonant reconstructions and a provisional reckoning of tone. Each aspect of these reconstructions is substantiated in detail in an extensive etymological vocabulary of more than 1000 roots. The results, while confirming some previous views on proto-Afroasiatic (proto-Afrasian), revise or overturn many others, and add much that is new.