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| Modern South Arabian | |
|---|---|
| Eastern South Semitic, Southeastern Semitic | |
| Geographic distribution | Yemen andOman |
| Linguistic classification | Afro-Asiatic
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | mode1252 |
 | |
TheModern South Arabian languages,[1][2] also known asEastern South Semitic languages, are a group ofendangered languages spoken by small populations inhabiting theArabian Peninsula, inYemen (includingSocotra) andOman. Together with theEthiosemitic andSayhadic languages, the Western branch, they form theSouth Semitic sub-branch of theAfroasiatic language family'sSemitic branch.
Mehri andHobyot are spoken in both Yemen and Oman.Soqotri is only spoken in the Yemeniarchipelago of Socotra, and theHarsusi,Bathari, andShehri languages are only spoken in Oman.[3]
In hisglottochronology-based classification,Alexander 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.[4][5] They are no longer considered to be descendants of theOld South Arabian language, as was once thought,[citation needed] but instead "nephews".
Modern South Arabian languages are known for their apparent archaic Semitic features, especially in their system ofphonology. For example, they preserve thelateral fricatives*ś[ɬ] and*ṣ́/ḏ̣[ɬʼ] ofProto-Semitic.
Modern South Arabian languages maintain the distinction which is lost in allspoken Arabic dialects but preserved inClassical Arabic between the two coronal emphatics represented by the Arabic lettersض/dˤ/ḍād andظ/ðˤ/ẓāʾ. In contrast to Arabic, where this distinction is represented by a stop-continuant contrast at the alveolar or pre-dental place of articulation, Modern South Arabian languages preserve a lateral-central distinction (ض/ɬʼ/ vs.ظ/θʼ~ðʼ/). The lateralض/ɬʼ/ is theemphatic counterpart to the lateral/ɬ/, which has become iconic of the Modern South Arabian languages, owing to its relative rarity in the world’s languages.[8]
Semiticists are nearly unanimous in the opinion thatProto-Semitic contained three plain sibilants, referred to by the shorthand *s1, *s2, and *s3, and confusing also as š, ś, and s. The realizations of these phonemes in earlier times is debated, these three plain sibilants have been preserved in Mehri and Shehri, on the other hand in Arabic*s and*š merged into Arabic/s/⟨س⟩ and*ś became Arabic/ʃ/⟨ش⟩.
| Proto-Semitic | Soqotri | Mehri | Shehri (Jibbali) | Standard Arabic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s₁ (š) | [ʃ]/[s] | [ʃ] (sometimes[h],[jʱ]) | [ʃ] (sometimes[h]) | [ʃ],[ç] | [s] | س |
| s₃ (s) | [s]/[ts] | [s] | ||||
| s₂ (ś) | [ɬ] | [ɬ] | [ʃ] | ش | ||
| ṣ́ | [ɬʼ]/[tɬʼ] | [ɬʼ] | [dˤ] | ض | ||
| ṯ̣ | [θʼ] | [tʼ] | [θʼ~ðʼ] | [ðˤ] | ظ | |
| ṯ | [θ] | [t] | [θ] | ث | ||
| ḏ | [ð] | [d] | [ð] | ذ | ||
Militarev identified aCushiticsubstratum in Modern South Arabian, which he proposes is evidence that Cushitic speakers originally inhabited theArabian Peninsula alongside Semitic speakers (Militarev 1984, 18–19; cf. also Belova 2003). According toVáclav Blažek, this suggests that Semitic peoples assimilated their original Cushitic neighbours to the south who did not later emigrate to theHorn of Africa. He argues that theLevant would thus have been theProto-Afro-Asiatic Urheimat, from where the various branches of theAfro-Asiatic family subsequently dispersed. To further support this, Blažek cites analysis ofrock art in Central Arabia by Anati (1968, 180–84), which notes a connection between the shield-carrying "oval-headed" people depicted on the cave paintings and the Arabian Cushites from theOld Testament, who were similarly described as carrying specific shields.[9]
Proto-Modern South Arabian reconstructions byRoger Blench (2019):[10]
| Gloss | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| one | *tʕaad, *tʕiit | |
| two | *ṯrooh, *ṯereṯ | |
| three | *ʃahṯayt | |
| four | *ʔorbaʕ, *raboot | |
| five | *xəmmoh | |
| six | m. *ʃɛɛt, f. *ʃətəət | |
| seven | m. *ʃoobeet, f. *ʃəbət | |
| eight | m. θəmoonit, f. θəmoonit | |
| nine | m. *saʕeet, f. *saaʕet | |
| ten | m. *ʕɔ́ɬər, f. *ʕəɬiireet | |
| head | *ḥəəreeh | |
| eye | *ʔaayn | *ʔaayəəntən |
| ear | *ʔeyðeen | *ʔiðānten |
| nose | *nəxreer | *nəxroor |
| mouth | *xah | *xwuutən |
| hair | *ɬəfeet | *ɬéef |
| hand/arm | *ḥayd | *ḥaadootən |
| leg | *faaʕm | *fʕamtən |
| foot | *géedəl | *(ha-)gdool |
| blood | *ðoor | *ðiiriín |
| breast | *θɔɔdɛʔ | *θədií |
| belly | *hóofəl | *hefool |
| sea | *rɛ́mrəm | *roorəm |
| path, road | *ḥóorəm | *ḥiiraám |
| mountain | *kərmām | *kərəəmoom |
| rock, stone | *ṣar(fét) | *ṣeref |
| rock, stone | *ṣəwər(fet) | *ṣəfáyr |
| rock, stone | *ʔoobən | |
| rock, stone | *fúdún | |
| fish | *ṣódəh | *ṣyood |
| hyena | *θəbiiriin | |
| turtle | *ḥameseh | *ḥoms(tə) |
| louse | *kenemoot | *kenoom |
| man | *ɣayg | *ɣəyuug |
| woman | *teeθ | |
| male child | *ɣeg | |
| child | *mber | |
| water | *ḥəmooh | |
| fire | *ɬəweeṭ | *ɬewṭeen |
| milk | *ɬxoof | *ɬxefən |
| salt | *məɮḥɔ́t | |
| night | *ʔaṣeer | *leyli |
| day | *ḥəyoomet | PWMSA *yiim |
| net | PWMSA *liix | *leyuux |
| wind | *mədenut | *medáyten |
| I, we | *hoh | *nəhan |
| you, m. | *heet | *ʔəteem |
| you, f. | *hiit | *ʔeteen |
| he, they m. | *heh | *həəm |
| she, they f. | *seeh | *seen |
