Hatti
Hattic
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, South, Ethio-Semitic) · historical / hidden variety
Hatsa (xht) is a poorly documented historical Ethio-Semitic language attested in a small number of inscriptions from the Aksumite cultural sphere (modern Eritrea and northern Ethiopia), generally placed in the 7th-12th centuries CE. The classification is uncertain — it may represent a late variety of Ge'ez (gez), a pre-Tigrinya/Tigre stage, or an extinct sister language. Like its better-known relatives Ge'ez, Tigrinya (ti) and Tigre (tig), it was written in Ethiopic fidäl script. The corpus is too limited for a full reconstruction. Position is debated within the Ethio-Semitic family alongside other historically attested but poorly known Ethio-Semitic varieties such as Sam'a and Argobba.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Hattic
Water
—
/—/
Fire
—
/—/
Sun
eštan
/ɛʃtan/
Moon
kāp
/kaːp/
Mother
ana
/ana/
Father
pap
/pap/
Eat
—
/—/
Drink
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Heart
pina
/pina/
Tree
—
/—/
House
wel
/wɛl/
Dog
—
/—/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
—
/—/
Eye
—
/—/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Hudson (1977) Ethio-Semitic Classification
- Bender (1971) The Languages of Ethiopia
- Glottolog: hats1240
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, South, Ethio-Semitic) languages
| Meaning | Hattic | Proto-Japonic-Koreanic | Messapic | Nicaraguan Sign Language | Tartessian | Liburnian | Etruscan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fire | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | eštan /ɛʃtan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | usil /ˈuzil/ |
| Moon | kāp /kaːp/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | tiur /ˈtiur/ |
| Mother | ana /ana/ | *əma /əma/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ati /ˈati/ |
| Father | pap /pap/ | *əpa /əpa/ | ana /ˈana/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | apa /ˈapa/ |
| Eat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | pina /pina/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| House | wel /wɛl/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | śuthi /ˈsuθi/ |
| Dog | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | thu /θu/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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