What is the earliest attested Semitic language?

BRY2K

Akkadian. The Akkadian language is first attested in cuneiform writing on clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) from the mid-third millennium B.C., and Semitic languages continue to be spoken in the Middle East and in northeastern Africa today. Akkadian, the earliest-attested Semitic language, has only 18 consonants. http://www.bartleby.com/61/10.html Apr 30 08, 5:34 AM

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Eblaite (also known as Eblan [ISO 639-3]) is an extinct, perhaps East Semitic language, which was spoken in the 3rd millennium BCE in the ancient city of Ebla, in modern Syria. It is considered to be the oldest written Semitic language. The language, closely related to Akkadian, is known from about 17,000 tablets written with cuneiform script which were found between 1974 and 1976 in the ruins of the city of Ebla (Tell Mardikh). The tablets were first translated by Giovanni Pettinato. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eblaite_language Apr 30 08, 4:30 PM