Proto-Semitic language
| Proto-Semitic | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Semitic languages |
| Era | c. 4500–3900 BC |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
| Lower-order reconstructions | |
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Proto-Semitic is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Semitic languages. There is no consensus among scholars regarding the location of its linguistic homeland: it may have originated in the Levant, the Sahara, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, or northern Africa.
The Semitic language family is considered part of the broader macro-family of Afroasiatic languages.