An epithet invented by Dr. J. Cowles Prichard, in imitation of Indo-European, to include a group of African languages which have definite relations to the Hebrew. These are especially the Abyssinian languages, the Galla, the Coptic, and the Libyan. Within the limits of an article we cannot state all the points of relationship, but we may note the remarkable similarity of the first and second pronouns, the mode of conjugating, the principal tense of the verb, the facility of forming derivative verbs from a primary (but the languages connected with Turkish have this), the inaptitude in compounding words, even so far as not even to prefix prepositions to verbs. The Abyssinian languages come nearest to Hebrew, and next the Libyan. Tutscheh notes the singular approximation of the Galla to the Arabic in the syntax used with the plural of nouns. The Coptic is of all the most distant from Hebrew. F. W. N.
Hebrew.
Semitic: closely allied to Aramaic and Phœnician. It is an extinct dialect spoken by the ancient Jews of Palestine, and preserved to us in their sacred writings known as the Old Testament Scriptures. The old Hebrew character, as found on coins, &c., has much resemblance to Phœnician. The Biblical alphabet, called Square Hebrew, has been traced by some to the captivity at Babylon, B.C. 603-536, but is regarded by others as much more recent. The Rabbinic characters are of a more cursive form, and the modern Jews of Germany and Poland used running hands of somewhat differing forms. For Later Hebrew, see Talmudic, and for Modern Hebrew, see [Jewey]. Lexicons by Fürst; Gesenius: Grammar, Lex.; Thesaurus, &c.
Hebrides, New, see [Mallicollo].
Heilbronn.
A sub-dialect of High-German.
Helebi.
A name for the Gipsies of Egypt; perhaps from Heleb or Halib, the Arabic form of Aleppo, in N. Syria. W. E.
Heligoland.
A sub-dialect of Frisian. See Oelrich’s “Kleines Wörterb.” 1846.