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Language code: sem

Technical information about ISO 639 language code sem

Documentation

The table below provides technical details for the Semitic languages language, designated by the sem code from the ISO 639-2 standard.

Code

sem

Name

Semitic languages

Text direction

Left-to-Right

Language varieties
East SemiticNorthwest SemiticCentral SemiticSouth Semitic
Related languages
BerberCushiticAncient EgyptianChadicOmotic
Key facts
Forms one of the six primary branches of the Afro-Asiatic phylumEarliest attested member is Akkadian, written in cuneiform around 2500 BCEWords are built from consonantal roots (often three consonants) combined with vocalic patternsGave rise to the Phoenician alphabet, ancestor of most modern alphabetic scriptsSpoken today from the Levant and Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa and far-flung diasporas
Sample phrase

مرحبا، كيف حالك؟

Character encodings

UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32

Supported in Localizely

The Semitic languages language, identified by the code sem, falls under the 'Collective' category in terms of its scope and is classified as 'Genetic' by its type.

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