dˈuː tə ðə pɹɪzˈuːmd dˈɪstəns ʌv ɹᵻlˈeɪʃənʃˌɪp bᵻtwˌiːn ðə vˈɛɹiəs bɹˈæntʃᵻz, mˈɛni skˈɑːlɚz pɹɪfˈɜː tə ɹᵻfˈɜː tʊ ˌæfɹoʊˌeɪsɪˈæɾɪk æz ˈeɪ "lɪŋɡwˈɪstɪk fˈaɪləm" ɹˈæðɚ ðˌænə "lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ fˈæmɪli".
Due to the presumed distance of relationship between the various branches, many scholars prefer to refer to Afroasiatic as a "linguistic phylum" rather than a "language family".