Soqotri language

Infobox Language
name=Soqotri
states=Yemen
speakers=64,000
familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
fam2=Semitic
fam3=West Semitic
fam4=South Semitic
fam5=Modern South Arabian
iso3=sqt

Soqotri (soq. - méthel d-saqátri, arab. - اللغة السقطرية) is the language of the native population of the island of Socotra, and Abd-el-Kuri and Samhah islands of the Socotra archipelago off the southern coast of Republic of Yemen. It is one of the Modern South Arabian languages (MSAL) and is usually classified as a South Semitic language. A. Militarev in his glottochronoloy based classification [ [http://www.krugosvet.ru/articles/77/1007711/1007711a1.htm] also presents the MSAL as South Semitic, but the only South Semitic branch. [ [http://www.krugosvet.ru/articles/77/1007711/image002.gif] ] . However, there is a trend to classify it as an [http://www.bartleby.com/61/images/tree.jpgold West Semitic] language. [Grammar and classification of ASA languages. On the one hand several data seem to confirm a connection of South Arabian with the second millennium north-western Semitic. On the other hand, also by virtue of these data, a reconsideration of the southern branch of Semitic, in particular the relation between Ancient and Modern south Arabian, becomes indispensable.

http://arabiantica.humnet.unipi.it/index.php?id=865] [Once more about glottochronology and the comparative method: the Omotic-Afrasian case Alexander Militarev Moscow, Russian State University for the Humanities. http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/fleming.pdf ] Soqotri speakers live on their island, in UAE, Oman, and other Arabian states, but rarely on the Yemeni mainland. The language was, through its history, isolated from the Arabian mainland. Arabic is also spoken in a dialectal form on Socotra. [Raymond G. Gordon, Jr, ed. 2005. "Ethnologue: Languages of the World". 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.]

Notes

References

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=sqt Ethnologue entry for Soqotri]
* [http://t724626.multiply.com/photos/album/8/Militarev#3 Alexander Militarev Semitic Language Tree with Soqotri modern classification (above)]
* Wolf Leslau, "Lexique Soqotri (sudarabique moderne) avec comparaisons et explications étymologiques". Paris: Klincksieck 1938
* Dr. Maximilian Bittner: "Charakteristik der Sprache der Insel Soqotra" Anzeiger der philosophisch-historischen Klasse der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Wien, Jahrgang 1918, Nr. VIII
* Müller D.H. (1902), "Die Mehri - und Soqotri - Sprache. Volume I: Texte." Südarabische Expedition, Band IV. Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Wien: Alfred Hölder 1902
* Müller D.H. (1905), "Die Mehri - und Soqotri - Sprache. Volume II: Soqotri Texte." Südarabische Expedition, Band VI. Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Wien: Alfred Hölder 1905
* Müller D.H. (1907), "Die Mehri - und Soqotri - Sprache. Volume II: Shauri Texte." Südarabische Expedition, Band VII. Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Wien: Alfred Hölder 1907
* Wagner, E.(1953). Syntax der Mehri-Sprache unter Berucksichtigung auch der anderen neusudara bischen Sprachen. Akademie-Verlag(Berlin).
* Wagner, E. (1959). Der Dialect von Abd-al-Kuri. Anthropus 54: 475-486.
* Agafonov, Vladimir. Temethel as the Brightest Element of Soqotran Folk Poetry. Folia Orientalia, vol. 42/43, 2006/07, pp. 241-249.
* RBGE Soqotra Bibliography: at RBGE and [http://www.friendsofsoqotra.org/Biblio/page01.html Friends of Soqotra Org.] websites.
* [http://www.semarch.uni-hd.de/tondokumente.php4?&GR_ID=&ORT_ID=153&DOK_ID=1651 Soqotri spoken Mehazelo (Cinderella) tale fragment with Latin transcription - MP3]
* [http://www.semarch.uni-hd.de/tondokumente.php4?&GR_ID=4&ORT_ID=160&DOK_ID=1686&lang=de Soqotri spoken Two Brothers tale fragment with Latin transcription - MP3]
* [http://hss.fullerton.edu/linguistics/cln/spring06.htm] and [http://hss.fullerton.edu/linguistics/cln/winter07.htm] Soqotri folk tale text publication in CLN.

External links

* [http://www.al-bab.com/yet/soqotra.htm Soqotri Language at al-bab.com]
* [http://www.e-paranoids.com/s/se/semitic_languages.html Soqotri Language at E-Paranoids]
* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/Soqotra/bibliography/page01.html A Bibliography with a list on Soqotri language] at [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/Soqotra/home/page01.html the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh website]
* [http://www.friendsofsoqotra.org/Biblio/page01.html The RBGE upgraded Soqotra Bibliography up to 2007 with more language references]