Modern South Arabian languages
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| Modern South Arabian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Yemen, Oman |
| Genetic classification: |
Afro-Asiatic Semitic South Semitic Modern South Arabian |
| Subdivisions: |
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The Modern South Arabian (or Eastern South Semitic) languages are spoken mainly by tiny minority populations on the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman. In the opinion of many linguists, it should not be confused with Old South Arabian, which together with the Ethiopian Semitic languages forms the Western South Semitic branch.
- Mehri is the largest with 70,643 speakers in Yemen, 50,763 in Oman, and 14,358 farther afield due to emigration in Kuwait. Population total for all countries is 135,764 (SIL 2000). The Muslim ethnic group itself is called Mahra.
- Soqotri is another relatively numerous example, with speakers on the island of Socotra isolated from the pressures of Arabic on the Yemeni mainland. According to the 1990 census in Yemen, 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.
- Shehri (frequently called Jibbali or "mountain" language), with an estimated 25,000 speakers, is best known as the language of the rebels during the rebellion in Oman's Dhofar province along its border with Yemen in the 1970s.
- Bathari language- 200 speakers est.
- Harsusi language - 1-2,000 speakers est., in Oman
- Hobyót language - 100 speakers est., in Oman
These languages are now generally believed to be a separate branch of Semitic - not descendents 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.
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