________________
SOUTH SEMITIC ALPHABETS
that only the following Sabaan letters resemble North Semitic characters having the same phonetic value: g, teth, I. n, 'ayin, sh, t, and, in a lesser degree, q. On the other hand, difference in external shape does not necessarily exclude a direct relationship.
According to Grimme, instead, the Thamudene alphabet was not only the earliest North Arabian script, but it was also the prototype of the Sabæan and the other South Arabian alphabets. He also considers the Thamudene alphabet as a direct offshoot of the Sinaitic script (see p. 198-202). Grimme is practically alone in his opinion.
120 4+4110mm+14000
6
ስ † ~ ፒ ፣
b c
•An' +AYM
3
The Amharic letter sha (a) is ta (d); a (e) from ma (f);
ነ ኸ
f
44073+178
T
220
וHangAtHHSSn.
CATHIAS ON VIVA
MASIONA
8
hw H ㄨㄨ
ጠ
hijk! m D
Fig. 112
1-2, South Semitic inscriptions from Ethiopia. 3-7, Thamudene inscriptions. 8. Early Ethiopic inscription from Matara (Eritrea), 9, The Amharic additional letters with their Ethiopic originals
derived from the Ethiopic letter sa (b); cha (e) from kh'a (e) from ha (h); ja or zha (1) from za (i); dja (k) from da (1); tcha (m) from ta (n)
(2) Some scholars hold that all the South Semitic alphabets derived from one original South Semitic alphabet. This "Proto-South Semitic" alphabet and the original North Semitic alphabet, or "Proto-North Semitic," would derive from the same source, a "Proto-Semitic" alphabet; this theory was propounded by the German scholars Weber, Prætorius, Lidzbarski, Jensen, by the English scholar A. Evans, and by others.
(3) Maurice Dunand suggests that the South Semitic branch was connected with the pseudo-hieroglyphic system of Byblos (see p. 158f, 205f.); in the Sabæan alphabet, he finds 18 signs corresponding exactly to pseudohieroglyphic symbols, and three more presenting a certain resemblance to other Byblos characters. However, Dunand thinks that only the graphic aspect of the Byblos-system was adapted by the Sabaeans, and not its phonetic side; furthermore, he believes that direct relations between Byblos and the Sabæans may have existed about the nineteenth century B.C., and as a result of these relations, the Sabaans may have created their script.
