Anti-Semitism and ...Semitism.

I wonder :

Originally posted by Spartakus Moreover ,how can someone be a Semite ,when he does not speak a Semitic language ,aka most of the�Jewish population�in the US?

Well, many Jews in he US are lectured basic Hebrew, but there is a major section that is clueless to Hebrew except ritual terminologies.
I guess the key for the Semitic thing to the Jewish population in the USA is ethnically Semeticism. It is extremely unusual for a Jew to think of himself originally as a Semeticized Jew.
I totally agree with you that Semeticism is a language connection rather than racial one. Even historically, Aramaic speakers were of various ethnic backgrounds stretching from Iraq to Canaan land. A typical result of language expansion. Similarly, Jews and Arabs who might have started as pure races are now highly mixed to the degree that it is incorrect to assume racial purity to all Jews and Arabs.
Even Pharonic Egypt similarly became a generic mixing pool. It is narratted that Ramesis II forced the Egyptianization of Libo berber tribes that were inhabiting the border of Egypts on the Libyan side. Also, Heksus and Libo (berber) tribes ruled Egypt and inhabited Egypt. Add to this later, Greek, Romans and more till Arabic replaced Coptic in Egypt.

Edited by �ok ge� - 19-Apr-2007 at 07:14

True. I missed that every Semetic language is Afro-Asiatic, but not every Afro-Asiatic is Semetic.

Originally posted by �ok ge� Well, many Jews in he US are lectured basic Hebrew, but there is a major section that is clueless to Hebrew except ritual terminologies.

But isn't the term "Semite" sth purely linguistic compared to the term "Hellen/Greek"?

Originally posted by Zagros Ancient egytian was not semetic.

Examine a word scientifically? Its a cultural creation, the only way to understand the word more clearly is to disect German Literature and perhaps use Reception theory to try and analyse the spread of the word in some way.
There are many words with meanings that are not based on the literal construction on the word, but on a culturally formed understanding of a word. I don't see how you can examine it further really?

How does it cause confusion to anyone?

Anti-Semitism in most languages means Anti-Jewish. It is a word deep-rooted in history to mean anti-Jewish and causes no such confusion.

Setmitic means, someone who speaks a Semitic language. It is a technical word, used mostly by Historians and linguists. Its really not a word in common usage, nor is it something that many people understand. The origin of this word and the specific meaning are actually quite complex. Its the derivative of Shem or something like that?

I just don't understand your point at all here... Anti-Semitism/Anti-Semitic is a word that was adopted within language cultures, it cannot be changed. Semitic as a word is just something that is not understood by the common public. You want people to change and use 'anti-Jewish' instead. Or perhaps, like most people, we should just form a new word for the languages of the Middle East/ or refer to them individually. 'Afro-Asiatic' I believe is the other way of calling these languages. Not that they need to be grouped together.

Actually anti-semitism is a confusing term. The wrong use of Semite in the anti-semite clause had made many people think that the only Semites are Jews and I have met multiple individual who were unaware that Semitism includes non-Jews.
The other issue is, is Semitism a language and cultural connection or a blood connection? Normally, we know that Semites in the Middle East are not genetically homogenous, so at least for now, Semitism is not a blood or racial connection. Yet, majority of Jews insist that every single Jew has a Semitic blood drop in him. Whether this is true or not, that is debatable indeed.

Why is it so confusing? I don't understanding what is so difficult?