South Arabian
Extinct languageLanguage Information
The Old South Arabian languages were spoken in ancient Yemen and neighboring parts of southern Arabia. They are extinct and known from inscriptions found in Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia.
They include Sabaean, Minaean, Qatabanian, and Hadramautic, and were written in the South Arabian alphabet from about the 8th century B.C. to the 6th century A.D. They were replaced by Arabic after the rise of Islam. They should not be confused with the Modern South Arabian languages, such as Mehri and Soqotri, which are still spoken in Yemen and Oman.
They include Sabaean, Minaean, Qatabanian, and Hadramautic, and were written in the South Arabian alphabet from about the 8th century B.C. to the 6th century A.D. They were replaced by Arabic after the rise of Islam. They should not be confused with the Modern South Arabian languages, such as Mehri and Soqotri, which are still spoken in Yemen and Oman.
- Language Family
- Afro-Asiatic (Hamito-Semitic)
- Subgroup
- Semitic
- Branch
- South Arabian