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Languages in Yemen

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Yemen has one of the oldest seats of civilization around the world in its golden days, naturally, a civilization this old would have their own language or set of languages developed over time. Of course, over time, the Arabic language became Yemeni-Arabic. Yemeni-Arabic is not only spoken in Yemen but also can be heard in Northern Somalia and Southern Saudi Arabia.

Yemeni-Arabic is said to be a very conservative and can be divided into 5 different dialects. Each dialect group is distinct and they are known or classified as San’ani, a dialect known for a distinct hard “G,” the Ta’izzi, which is spoken natively in Taiz, Aden and Ibb. Adani on the other hand gives emphasis more on the hard “Q,” as in qat and the “J” as hard “G.” Tihami dialect is heavy on the prefix “SH.” Hadrami, meanwhile, is widely spoken in the Wild Valley.

There are also languages spoken in Yemen that has no Arabic roots at all. These languages are Mehri and Suqutri.  Mehri  speakers are becoming scarce and is nearing extinction. Even before the Arabic Culture entered Yemen in the 7th Century, Mehri speakers already abound the area. Right now, there are only about 70,643 who can speak Mehri.

Suqutri language is language freely spoken in the island of Socotra. Suqutri speakers have been known to live on islands. Not only does can it be heard in Socotra island but also on some islands in UAE, Oman and other Arabian States. 

Another major language spoken in the country is Somali. If estimates are to be believe, there are about 700,000 plus Somali immigrants living and working in Yemen