Yemen

Languages

While the national language is Arabic (spoken in several regional dialects), Yemen is one of the main homelands of the South Semitic family of languages, which includes the non-Arabic language of the ancient Sabaean kingdom. Its modern Yemeni descendents are closely related to the modern Semitic languages of Ethiopia, including Amharic, the national language. However, only a small remnant of those languages exists in modern Yemen, notably on the island of Socotra and in the back hills of the Hadhramaut coastal region. Modern South Arabian languages spoken in Yemen include Mehri, with 70,643 speakers, Soqotri, with an estimated 43,000 speakers (2004 census) mainly on the island of Socotra, and Bathari (with an estimated total of only 200 speakers).

Related Topics:
South Semitic - Ethiopia - Amharic - Socotra - Hadhramaut - South Arabian - Mehri - Soqotri - Bathari

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