South Arabian
Encyclopedia
The Modern South Arabian languages are spoken mainly by minority populations in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen
and Oman
, which, together with the Ethiopian Semitic languages
, form the Western South Semitic branch. In his glottochronology
-based classification, A. Militarev presents the Modern South Arabian languages as a South Semitic branch opposed to a North Semitic branch that includes all the other Semitic languages. They are no longer considered to be descendants of the Old South Arabian
language, as was once thought. They are known for their apparent archaic Semitic features, especially in their system of phonology
—for example, they preserve the lateral fricatives of Proto-Semitic.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, which, together with the Ethiopian Semitic languages
Ethiopian Semitic languages
Ethiopian Semitic is a language group, which together with Old South Arabian forms the Western branch of the South Semitic languages. The languages are spoken in both Ethiopia and Eritrea...
, form the Western South Semitic branch. In his glottochronology
Glottochronology
Glottochronology is that part of lexicostatistics dealing with the chronological relationship between languages....
-based classification, A. Militarev presents the Modern South Arabian languages as a South Semitic branch opposed to a North Semitic branch that includes all the other Semitic languages. They are no longer considered to be descendants of the Old South Arabian
Old South Arabian
Old South Arabian is the term used to describe four extinct, closely related languages spoken in the far southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. There were a number of other Sayhadic languages , of which very little evidence survived, however...
language, as was once thought. They are known for their apparent archaic Semitic features, especially in their system of phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
—for example, they preserve the lateral fricatives of Proto-Semitic.
- MehriMehri languageMehri or Mahri is a Modern South Arabian language, a branch of the greater Semitic language family, and is spoken by minority populations in isolated areas of the eastern part of Yemen and western Oman. It is a remnant of the ancient indigenous language group spoken in the southern Arabian...
is the largest with more than 70,000 speakers in YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, more than 50,000 in OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, and about 15,000 farther afield due to emigration in KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Population total for all countries is 135,764 (SIL 2000). The Muslim ethnic group itself is called MahraMahraMahra may refer to:* Mahra a Jat clan found in Pakistani Punjab* Al Mahrah Governorate* Mahra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a town in Pakistan* Mahra Sultanate* The Mehri language* Meheri people...
. - SoqotriSoqotri languageSoqotri, or Socotri, is the language of the native population of the island of Socotra, and Abd al Kuri and Samhah islands of the Socotra archipelago off the southern coast of the Republic of Yemen...
is another relatively numerous example, with speakers on the island of SocotraSocotraSocotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
isolated from the pressures of Arabic on the Yemeni mainland. According to the 1990 census in YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, the number of speakers there was 57,000 (including, perhaps, Soqotris living on the mainland). The population total for all countries (including work emigrants) is estimated at 64,000. - ShehriShehri languageJibbali - frequently called Shehri in Omani Arabic - is a South Arabian language spoken by a minority native population in the mountains and wilderness areas upland from Salalah in Dhofar Province in the southwest of the Oman.While sometimes confused as a dialect of Arabic even by Omani Arabs,...
(frequently called Jibbali or "mountain" language), with an estimated 25,000 speakers, is best known as the language of the rebels during the rebellionDhofar RebellionThe Dhofar Rebellion was launched in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, which had British support, from 1962 to 1976. It ended with the defeat of the rebels, but the state of Oman had to be radically reformed and modernised to cope with the campaign.-Background:In...
in OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
's DhofarDhofarThe Dhofar region lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen. Its mountainous area covers and has a population of 215,960 as of the 2003 census. The largest town in the region is Salalah. Historically, it was the chief source of frankincense in the world. However, its frankincense...
province along its border with Yemen in the 1960s and 1970s. - BathariBathari languageBathari is an endangered Semitic language spoken in a small area of Yemen and Oman....
: 200 speakers est. - HarsusiHarsusi languageHarsusi is a Semitic language closely related to Mehri. It is spoken by 1,000 to 2,000 Harasis in Jiddat al-Harasis, Dhofar Province, Oman. Reportedly, the Harasis are increasing their use of the more dominant Mehri and are bilingual in Arabic....
: 1,000–2,000 speakers est., in Oman - HobyótHobyót languageHobyót is an endangered Semitic language spoken in a small area of Oman and neighboring Yemen....
: 100 speakers est., in Oman
External links
- Ethnologue entry for South Arabian languages
- The Modern South Arabian Languages, by M.C.Simeone-Senelle