Language Families of the World Season 1 Episode 8 Languages of the Fertile Crescent and Beyond I

In episode 8 of Language Families of the World's first season, we explore the fascinating world of languages in the Fertile Crescent and beyond. This area, spanning from modern-day Iraq to Egypt, is widely celebrated as the cradle of civilization, and its linguistic contributions have been just as significant.

Our journey begins with the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in Mesopotamia around 4000 BCE. We'll delve into the cuneiform writing system used to record the language, revealing a sophisticated system that could represent not only sounds but also complex concepts, making it one of the earliest written languages to be used to record literature. We'll learn the story of how a team of archaeologists decoded Sumerian cuneiform and uncovered one of the oldest epic poems in the world, the "Epic of Gilgamesh."

From there, we'll explore the development of Akkadian, another ancient language spoken in Mesopotamia, and see how it gave rise to two dialects, Babylonian and Assyrian. We'll see how all three languages influenced each other and left a lasting mark on the region, even after their usage declined.

As we move further west, we'll discover the Canaanite languages, spoken around the eastern Mediterranean, including Hebrew, which still enjoys widespread usage today, and Phoenician, the language of the ancient city-state of Tyre. We'll learn about their impact on each other and how the alphabet that originally developed in the region, through a combination of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform, has become the standard for writing in numerous languages worldwide.

Finally, we'll examine the languages of ancient Egypt, including hieroglyphs, demotic, and Coptic, the last of which is still used as a liturgical language by the Coptic Orthodox Church. We'll see how the use of hieroglyphs evolved over time and learn fascinating facts like how some texts written in demotic were found inside an Egyptian mummy's body.

Throughout the episode, we'll see how these ancient languages have shaped linguistic development up to the present day and left an indelible imprint on cultures that continue to shape the world. We'll meet experts in the field who will guide us through the languages' histories and help us understand the significance of specific details, such as how consonants influence the meaning of Hebrew words.

Overall, this episode of Language Families of the World is a deep dive into the linguistic foundations of one of the most influentially rich regions in the history of civilization. Viewers will gain valuable insights into the complexity and interconnectedness of ancient languages and cultures and how they continue to shape our world today.