2018/10/17 by Janet Watson · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis #Historical and Linguistic Studies #African history and culture analysis
paper · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198701378.003.0011
openalex publication_date 2018/10/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
This chapter examines phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactic data from a number of contemporary Arabic varieties spoken within historical Yemen—i.e. within the borders of current Yemen and up into southern ˁAsīr in Saudi Arabia—with (a) data from the Ancient South Arabian language, Sabaic; (b) what has been called ‘Ḥimyaritic’, as spoken during the early centuries of Islam; and (c) the Modern South Arabian languages, Mehri and Śḥerɛ̄t. These comparisons show a significant number of shared features. The density of shared features and the nature of sharing exhibited lead to the tentative suggestion that some of these varieties may be continuations of South Arabian with an Arabic overlay rather than Arabic with a South Arabian substratum.