A relationship between Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and the Berber languages was perceived as early as the 9th century CE by the Hebrew grammarian and physician Judah ibn Quraysh, who is regarded as a forerunner of Afroasiatic studies.
ɐ ɹᵻlˈeɪʃənʃˌɪp bᵻtwˌiːn hˈiːbɹuː, ˈæɹɐbˌɪk, ænd ˌæɹɐmˈeɪɪk ænd ðə bˈɜːbɚ lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz wʌz pɚsˈiːvd æz ˈɜːli æz ðə nˈaɪnθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi sˌiːˈiː baɪ ðə hˈiːbɹuː ɡɹæmˈɛɹiən ænd fɪzˈɪʃən dʒˈuːdə ˈɪbən kwɚɹˈeɪʃ, hˌuː ɪz ɹᵻɡˈɑːɹdᵻd æz ɐ fˈɔːɹʌnɚɹ ʌv ˌæfɹoʊˌeɪsɪˈæɾɪk stˈʌdiz.