Semitic Philology

The three main branches of the Semitic language family are Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopian.

Many languages, such as Manchu, Mongolian, and Tifinagh, have alphabets derived from Semitic alphabets. Thus, the study of Semitic writing will lead us beyond the bounds of Semitic languages.

WWW sites related to Semitic grammars:

Scholarly Publications by Emory University
Semitic Alphabets script samples
An academic journal of textual criticism
Institute for Ancient Near East Studies in Prague
Summer Institute for Linguistics
Western Semitic Links Northwest Semitic Links
Prof. Lehmann Aramaic and Hebrew at the University of Mainz
Eisenbraun's Books specializing in Ancient Near East studies
Ancient Synagogues good background info

Text-Analysis Software (for preparing critical editions and comparing manuscripts:

From the University of Greifswald a program called CEBIT99

Fonts:

Fonts for Amharic and many other languages
Aramaic fonts
Fonts for various languages (Emory University)
Jack Kilmon's fonts
Fonts from S.I.L. (Summer Institute of Linguistics)
Font Archive for Hebrew and many other languages
Ethiopic Fonts at the University of Indiana
Syriac Fonts and other languages, too!

Word Processing with multiple fonts and right-to-left:

Hebrew Software
Davka Corp.
Bibleworks right-to-left plug-in add-on for MSWord
Nota Bene right-to-left word processor
NAI
Classic Text Editor
Shoebox software

New archeological evidence, like the Temple Ostracon and the Tel Dan inscription, have given us evidence of written Hebrew and phrases from the Bible going back to almost 1,000 B.C.

Languages and Linguistics.

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Schick, George Victor The Stems...in Hebrew Leipzig: Drugulin, 1913. An example of the progress made by simultaneous study of congnate words in Ethiopic and Arabic.

Gesenius, Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm authored numerous grammars, commentaries, and lexicons; together with Delitzsch, he can be reckoned as one of the founders of "wissenschaftliche" Semitic linguistics.

Patrick Bennet Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual Eisenbrauns, 1998.

The Semitic Languages ed. Robert Hetzron. Routledge, 1997 don't overlook the article by Alice Faber "Genetic Subgrouping of the Semitic Languages." There's an excellent bibliography in the back of Waltke and O'Connor under the heading "Other Semitic Languages."

The Old Syriac Aramaic version of the four Gospels
The Peshitta Aramaic version of the NT
The Crawford Aramaic manuscript of Revelation

Introduction to the Semitic Languages: Text Specimens And Grammatical Sketches by Gotthelf Bergsträsser

Einführung in die semitischen Sprachen by Gotthelf Bergsträsser

Yiddish - this linguistic tradition in mid-Europe is a delightful mix of Slavic (Russian and Polish), German, and Hebrew words and idioms (even a few French words crept in, perhaps from Rashi), usually pronounced with a south-Rhein accent. There are many different ways to write Yiddish (Jüdisch): originally, it was done with Hebrew characters. Here are a few sayings; you might have seen the spelled differently - there is no absolute final standard for spelling Yiddish with Roman characters; Hebraic vocabulary items are in boldface; note the double negations - the grammar is unique (double negation is characteristically Slavic):

Ein Behaimeh hat eine lange Zunge, und kann kein Baruch sagen.
An animal has a long tongue, and yet can say no blessing.

Ein Fauler ist gut zu schicken nach'm Malech-Hamoves.
It's good to send a lazy man for the angel of death.

Ein halber Emes ist eine ganze Lüge.
A half-truth is whole lie.

Ein halber Narr ist ein ganzer Chochem.
A half-fool is an entire wise man.

Ein Lügner bedarf [zu] haben einen guten Zechron.
A liar needs to have a good memory.

Der Schlaf ist ein Ganev.
Sleep is a thief.

Ganvet mein Bruder, hängt man den Ganev.
If my brother steals, it is the thief who is hanged.