Editing Semitic languages (section)

===Morphology: triliteral roots===
{{Main|Semitic root}}
All Semitic languages exhibit a unique pattern of stems called [[Semitic root]]s consisting typically of triliteral, or three-consonant consonantal roots (two- and four-consonant roots also exist), from which nouns, adjectives, and verbs are formed in various ways (e.g., by inserting vowels, doubling consonants, lengthening vowels or by adding prefixes, suffixes, or [[infix]]es).

For instance, the root [[K-T-B|''k-t-b'']] (dealing with "writing" generally) yields in Arabic:

:'''''k'''a'''t'''a'''b'''tu'' كَتَبْتُ or كتبت "I wrote" (f and m)
:''yu'''kt'''a'''b'''(u)'' يُكْتَب or يكتب "being written" (masculine)
:''tu'''kt'''a'''b'''(u)'' تُكتَب or تكتب "being written" (feminine)
:''yata'''k'''ā'''t'''a'''b'''ūn(a)'' يَتَكَاتَبُونَ or يتكاتبون "they write to each other" (masculine)
:''isti'''kt'''ā'''b''''' اِستِكتاب or استكتاب "causing to write"
:'''''k'''i'''t'''ā'''b''''' كِتَاب or كتاب "book" (the hyphen shows end of stem before various case endings)
:'''''k'''u'''t'''ayyi'''b''''' كُتَيِّب or كتيب "booklet" (diminutive)
:'''''k'''i'''t'''ā'''b'''at'' كِتَابَة or كتابة "writing"
:'''''k'''u'''tt'''ā'''b''''' كُتاب or كتاب "writers" (broken plural)
:'''''k'''a'''t'''a'''b'''at'' كَتَبَة or كتبة "clerks" (broken plural)
:''ma'''kt'''a'''b''''' مَكتَب or مكتب "desk" or "office"
:''ma'''kt'''a'''b'''at'' مَكتَبة or مكتبة "library" or "bookshop"
:''ma'''kt'''ū'''b''''' مَكتوب or مكتوب "written" (participle) or "postal letter" (noun)
:'''''k'''a'''t'''ī'''b'''at'' كَتيبة or كتيبة "squadron" or "document"
:''i'''k'''ti'''t'''ā'''b''''' اِكتِتاب or اكتتاب "registration" or "contribution of funds"
:''mu'''k'''ta'''t'''ib'' مُكتَتِب or مكتتب "subscription"

and the same root in Hebrew:

:'''''k'''ā'''ṯ'''a'''ḇ'''ti'' כתבתי or כָּתַבְתִּי "I wrote"
:'''''k'''a'''tt'''ā'''ḇ''''' כתב or כַּתָּב "reporter" (''m'')
:'''''k'''a'''tt'''e'''ḇ'''eṯ'' כתבת or כַּתָּבֶת "reporter" (''f'')
:'''''k'''a'''tt'''ā'''ḇ'''ā'' כתבה or כַּתָּבָה "article" (plural '''''k'''a'''tt'''ā'''ḇ'''ōṯ'' כתבות)
:''mi'''ḵt'''ā'''ḇ''''' מכתב or מִכְתָּב "postal letter" (plural ''mi'''ḵt'''ā'''ḇ'''īm'' מכתבים)
:''mi'''ḵt'''ā'''ḇ'''ā'' מכתבה "writing desk" (plural ''mi'''ḵt'''ā'''ḇ'''ōṯ'' מכתבות)
:'''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''ō'''ḇ'''eṯ'' כתובת "address" (plural '''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''ō'''ḇ'''ōṯ'' כתובות)
:'''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''ā'''ḇ''''' כתב "handwriting"
:'''''k'''ā'''ṯ'''ū'''ḇ''''' כתוב "written" (''f'' '''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''ū'''ḇ'''ā'' כתובה)
:''hi'''ḵt'''ī'''ḇ''''' הכתיב "he dictated" (''f'' ''hi'''ḵt'''ī'''ḇ'''ā'' הכתיבה)
:''hiṯ'''k'''a'''tt'''ē'''ḇ''''' התכתב "he corresponded (''f'' ''hiṯ'''k'''a'''tt'''ə'''ḇ'''ā'' התכתבה)
:''ni'''ḵt'''a'''ḇ''''' נכתב "it was written" (''m'')
:''ni'''ḵt'''ə'''ḇ'''ā'' נכתבה "it was written" (''f'')
:'''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''ī'''ḇ''''' כתיב "spelling" (''m'')
:''ta'''ḵt'''ī'''ḇ''''' תכתיב "prescript" (''m'')
:''m'''ə''''''ḵ'''u'''tt'''ā'''ḇ''''' מכותב "addressee" (''me'''ḵ'''u'''tt'''e'''ḇ'''eṯ'' מכותבת ''f'')
:'''''k'''ə'''ṯ'''u'''bb'''ā'' כתובה "ketubah (a Jewish marriage contract)" (''f'')

(Underlined consonants {{angbr|ḵ}}, {{angbr|ṯ}}, {{angbr|ḇ}} represent the [[fricative]]s /x/, /θ/, /v/ respectively.)

In Tigrinya and Amharic, this root was used widely but is now seen as an archaic form. Ethiopic-derived languages use different roots for things that have to do with writing (and in some cases counting). The primitive root ''ṣ-f'' and the trilateral root stems ''m-ṣ-f'', ''ṣ-h-f'', and ''ṣ-f-r'' are used. This root also exists in other Semitic languages, such as Hebrew: ''sep̄er'' "book", ''[[sofer|sōp̄er]]'' "scribe", ''mispār'' "number", and ''sippūr'' "story". This root also exists in Arabic and is used to form words with a close meaning to "writing", such as ''ṣaḥāfa'' "journalism", and ''ṣaḥīfa'' "newspaper" or "parchment".
Verbs in other non-Semitic Afroasiatic languages show similar radical patterns, but more usually with biconsonantal roots; e.g. [[Kabyle language|Kabyle]] ''afeg'' means "fly!", while ''affug'' means "flight", and ''yufeg'' means "he flew" (compare with Hebrew, where ''hap̄lēḡ'' means "set sail!", ''hap̄lāḡā'' means "a sailing trip", and ''hip̄līḡ'' means "he sailed", while the unrelated ''ʕūp̄'', ''təʕūp̄ā'', and ''ʕāp̄'' pertain to flight).