Classification of Arabic languages

South Central Semitic (Arabic)
Geographic distribution	Arabia, Arab world
Linguistic classification	Afro-Asiatic Semitic West Central South Central Semitic (Arabic)
Subdivisions	Ancient North Arabian Arabic language
Language codes

The South Central Semitic or Arabic language family consists of

• the living varieties of Arabic
• a number of closely related extinct dialects of pre-Islamic Arabia, summarized as Ancient or Old North Arabian (ISO 639-3 xna), including
  • Safaitic
  • Dedanitic/Lihyanitic (Dedanite/Lihyanite)
  • Thamudic
  • Hasaitic

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Ancient North Arabian
Region	Arabia
Extinct	marginalized by Classical Arabic from the 7th century
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic West Central South Ancient North Arabian
Writing system	South Arabian alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xna

Ancient North Arabian is known from fragmentary inscriptions in Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia, dating to between roughly the 6th century BC and the 6th century AD, all written in scripts derived from Epigraphic South Arabian. These dialects appear to be predecessors of Classical Arabic.

Ancient North Arabian uses h- rather than al- for the definite article.

Literature

• F. Scagliarini, The Dedanitic inscriptions from Jabal 'Ikma in north-western Hejaz, Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 29 (1999), ISBN 2-503-50829-4, pp. 143-150
• H. Lozachmeur, (ed.), Presence arabe dans le croissant fertile avant l'Hegire (Actes de la table ronde internationale Paris, 13 Novembre 1993). Paris: Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1995. ISBN 286538 2540.
• Ancient Records from North Arabia (Toronto: University of Toronto, 1970)