Mehri or Mahri ( مهريّت ) is the most spoken of the Modern South Arabian languages (MSALs), a subgroup of the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. It is spoken by the Mehri tribes, who inhabit isolated areas of the eastern part of Yemen, western Oman, particularly the Al Mahrah Governorate, with a small number in Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni and Omani borders. Up to the 19th century, speakers lived as far north as the central part of Oman.[2]
Given the dominance of Arabic in the region over the past 1400 years and the frequent bilingualism with Arabic among Mehri speakers, Mehri is at some risk of extinction. It is primarily a spoken language, with little existing vernacular literature and almost no literacy in written Mehri among native speakers.
Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Hamdani noted that "the Mahra speak a barbarous tongue like foreigners". Elsewhere, Hamdani showed extensive knowledge of Arabian dialects, each of which was rated in its distance from classical Arabic.[3]
Today, Mehri exists in two main dialects, Yemeni Mehri (also known as Southern Mehri) and Omani Mehri (also known as Dhofari Mehri and Nagd Mehri). Omani Mehri is spoken by a smaller population and shows no significant variation within itself, but Yemeni Mehri is further divided into western and eastern dialects.[4]
PhonologyEdit
Unlike other Modern South Arabian languages (MSALs), Mehri 'emphatic' consonants are not simply ejectives. They may also be pharyngealized, as in Arabic, so it is possible for Mehri to attest to a transition from proto-Semitic ejective consonants to the pharyngealized emphatics that are found in many Semitic languages.[5]
/ɡ/ can be realized as an affricate [dʒ] or palatal plosive [ɟ] in the Yemeni dialect.
Mahriyōt dialect in Hawf and younger generation of al-Rubūʕah have <ḏ̣> as [ʫ̪ˁ], women speakers of the dialects tend to use an affricate which is sometimes pronounced as voiceless [t͡ʪ].[6]
Voiced obstruents, or at least voiced stops, devoice in pausa. In this position, both the voiced and emphatic stops are ejective, losing the three-way contrast (/kʼ/ is ejective in all positions). Elsewhere, the emphatic and (optionally) the voiced stops are pharyngealized. Emphatic (but not voiced) fricatives have a similar pattern, and in non-pre-pausal position they are partially voiced.
The difference in place of the laterals is not clear. It may be that the approximant is denti-alveolar, like the alveolar occlusives, and the lateral fricatives apical, or it may be that the latter are palato-alveolar or alveolo-palatal. The fricatives are typically transcribed ś, etc.
/dʒ/ is only in Arabic loans. It is not clear if the rhotic is a trill or a tap.
MorphologyEdit
The following are the personal pronouns of Mehri:
Masculine
Singular
Dual
Plural
1st
hōh
kīh
nḥah
2nd
hēt
tīh
tām
3rd
hēh
hīh
hām
Feminine
Singular
Dual
Plural
1st
hōh
kīh
nḥah
2nd
hīt
tīh
tān
3rd
sēh
hīh
sān
The following are the possessive suffix versions of those pronouns:
Masculine
Singular
Dual
Plural
1st
-ī
-kī
-(a)n
2nd
-(a)k
-kī
-kam
3rd
-(a)h
-hī
-ham
Feminine
Singular
Dual
Plural
1st
-ī
-kī
-(a)n
2nd
-(a)š
-kī
-kan
3rd
-(a)s
-hī
-san
The independent pronouns can also be placed after the genitiveexponent (ð-) to convert them into possessive pronouns ("mine" etc).[7]
Mehri, like other Modern South Arabian languages, possesses a rich oral tradition, but not a written one.[8][9] There exist two main approaches to writing the language: using the standard Arabic alphabet or using a modified Arabic alphabet that contains additional letters to represent sounds unique to Mehri.[10]
The most common approach is using the unmodified Arabic alphabet. However, standard Arabic’s deficiencies with respect to MSAL result in this approach representing multiple phonemes with the same letters. (Note that, in both Arabic and modified Arabic systems, the vowels are not explicitly differentiated, but are differentiated by the readers through context.)[10]
The modified Arabic alphabet has a few systems, none of which is standardized.[11][12][13] The most commonly used modified Arabic additional letters as documented in use (e.g., in text messages, email, etc.) by the MSAL centre at the University of Leeds;[14] a proposed set of additional letters for the Arabic alphabet to adapt it to be able to be a good systemic for writing MSAL languages (including Mehri) by that same centre; and a separate set of additional letters proposed by Almahrah.net for the same purpose are given (along with IPA phonetic transcription and Romanizations) in the columns of the table below.
^Walter Dostal (1967). Die Beduinen in Südarabien. Eine ethnologische Studie zur Entwicklung der Kamelhirtenkultur in Arabien (in German). Vienna: Ferdinand Berger and Söhne OHG. p. 133. fig. 19
^Abu Muhammad al-Hasan Hamdani, Sifat Jazirat al-'Arab (probably ed. 1884), 134 tr. Chaim Rabin (1951). Ancient West-Arabian. London: Taylor's Foreign Press. p. 43.
^SIMEONE-SENELLE, Marie-Claude (November 2013). "Mehri and Hobyot Spoken in Oman and Yemen". LLACAN - Langage, Langues et Cultures d'Afrique Noire: 1 – via HALSHS.
^Rubin, Aaron (2010-05-17). The Mehri Language of Oman. BRILL. p. 12. ISBN978-9004182639.
^ abOBEID ABDULLA ALFADLY, HASSAN. "The Morphology of Mehri Qishn dialect in Yemen" (PDF).
^Almakrami, Mohsen Hebah (2015-11-22). "Number, Gender and Tense in Aljudhi Dialect of Mehri Language in Saudi Arabia". Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 5 (11): 2230–2241. doi:10.17507/tpls.0511.06. ISSN 1799-2591.
^ abcModern South Arabian Languages Centre, “Orthographic Characters” (University of Leeds, 2019‑05‑15).
^ abJames Dickins, “Bibliography of the Modern South Arabian Languages [MSAL]” (University of Leeds MSAL Centre, 2019‑05‑15).
Further readingEdit
Rubin, Aaron. 2010. The Mehri Language of Oman. Leiden: Brill.
Rubin, Aaron, 2018. Omani Mehri: A New Grammar with Texts. Leiden: Brill.
External linksEdit
(in Arabic) from Hadramut forum
ELAR archive of Mehri language documentation materials
The Mehri language in south Yemen, Al Jazeera Channel (YouTube video, in Arabic and Mehri)
October 05, 2023
mehri, language, mehri, mahri, مهري, most, spoken, modern, south, arabian, languages, msals, subgroup, semitic, branch, afroasiatic, family, spoken, mehri, tribes, inhabit, isolated, areas, eastern, part, yemen, western, oman, particularly, mahrah, governorate. Mehri or Mahri مهري ت is the most spoken of the Modern South Arabian languages MSALs a subgroup of the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic family It is spoken by the Mehri tribes who inhabit isolated areas of the eastern part of Yemen western Oman particularly the Al Mahrah Governorate with a small number in Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni and Omani borders Up to the 19th century speakers lived as far north as the central part of Oman 2 MehriPronunciation mɛhri Native toYemen Oman Saudi ArabiaEthnicityMehri peopleNative speakers230 000 2020 1 Language familyAfro Asiatic SemiticWest SemiticSouth SemiticModern South ArabianMehriWriting systemArabic alphabetLanguage codesISO 639 3 a href https iso639 3 sil org code gdq class extiw title iso639 3 gdq gdq a Glottologmehr1241ELPMehriMehri and its sister MSALs were spoken in the southern Arabian Peninsula before the spread of Arabic along with Islam in the 7th century CE Today it is also spoken by Mehri residents in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as in Kuwait by guest workers originally from South Arabia as well as nationals with a South Arabian heritage Given the dominance of Arabic in the region over the past 1400 years and the frequent bilingualism with Arabic among Mehri speakers Mehri is at some risk of extinction It is primarily a spoken language with little existing vernacular literature and almost no literacy in written Mehri among native speakers Contents 1 Dialects 2 Phonology 3 Morphology 4 Writing system 5 See also 6 Notes 7 Further reading 8 External linksDialects EditAbu Muhammad al Hasan al Hamdani noted that the Mahra speak a barbarous tongue like foreigners Elsewhere Hamdani showed extensive knowledge of Arabian dialects each of which was rated in its distance from classical Arabic 3 Today Mehri exists in two main dialects Yemeni Mehri also known as Southern Mehri and Omani Mehri also known as Dhofari Mehri and Nagd Mehri Omani Mehri is spoken by a smaller population and shows no significant variation within itself but Yemeni Mehri is further divided into western and eastern dialects 4 Phonology EditUnlike other Modern South Arabian languages MSALs Mehri emphatic consonants are not simply ejectives They may also be pharyngealized as in Arabic so it is possible for Mehri to attest to a transition from proto Semitic ejective consonants to the pharyngealized emphatics that are found in many Semitic languages 5 The consonant inventory is as follows Labial Coronal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottallaminal lateral sibilant palatalNasal m nOcclusive voiced b pʼ d dʒ tʃʼ ɡvoiceless t k ʔemphatic tˁ tʼ kʼContinuant voiced d z ɣ ʁ ʕvoiceless f 8 ɬ s ʃ x x ħ hemphatic 8 ˁ 8ʼ ɬ ˁ ɬ ʼ s ˁ sʼ ʃ ˁ ʃʼRhotic r ɾSemivowel w l j ɡ can be realized as an affricate dʒ or palatal plosive ɟ in the Yemeni dialect Mahriyōt dialect in Hawf and younger generation of al Rubuʕah have lt ḏ gt as ʫ ˁ women speakers of the dialects tend to use an affricate which is sometimes pronounced as voiceless t ʪ 6 The vowel inventory is as follows Front Central BackClose iː uːMid eː e oːɛ ɛːOpen a aːVoiced obstruents or at least voiced stops devoice in pausa In this position both the voiced and emphatic stops are ejective losing the three way contrast kʼ is ejective in all positions Elsewhere the emphatic and optionally the voiced stops are pharyngealized Emphatic but not voiced fricatives have a similar pattern and in non pre pausal position they are partially voiced The difference in place of the laterals is not clear It may be that the approximant is denti alveolar like the alveolar occlusives and the lateral fricatives apical or it may be that the latter are palato alveolar or alveolo palatal The fricatives are typically transcribed s etc dʒ is only in Arabic loans It is not clear if the rhotic is a trill or a tap Morphology EditThe following are the personal pronouns of Mehri Masculine Singular Dual Plural1st hōh kih nḥah2nd het tih tam3rd heh hih hamFeminine Singular Dual Plural1st hōh kih nḥah2nd hit tih tan3rd seh hih sanThe following are the possessive suffix versions of those pronouns Masculine Singular Dual Plural1st i ki a n2nd a k ki kam3rd a h hi hamFeminine Singular Dual Plural1st i ki a n2nd a s ki kan3rd a s hi sanThe independent pronouns can also be placed after the genitive exponent d to convert them into possessive pronouns mine etc 7 Writing system EditSee also Soqotri language Writing system Mehri like other Modern South Arabian languages possesses a rich oral tradition but not a written one 8 9 There exist two main approaches to writing the language using the standard Arabic alphabet or using a modified Arabic alphabet that contains additional letters to represent sounds unique to Mehri 10 The most common approach is using the unmodified Arabic alphabet However standard Arabic s deficiencies with respect to MSAL result in this approach representing multiple phonemes with the same letters Note that in both Arabic and modified Arabic systems the vowels are not explicitly differentiated but are differentiated by the readers through context 10 The modified Arabic alphabet has a few systems none of which is standardized 11 12 13 The most commonly used modified Arabic additional letters as documented in use e g in text messages email etc by the MSAL centre at the University of Leeds 14 a proposed set of additional letters for the Arabic alphabet to adapt it to be able to be a good systemic for writing MSAL languages including Mehri by that same centre and a separate set of additional letters proposed by Almahrah net for the same purpose are given along with IPA phonetic transcription and Romanizations in the columns of the table below Romanization IPA Workaround letters 14 15 Leeds proposed letters 14 15 Almahrah net proposed letters 12 s ɬ ث پ ڛ ṣ ʃˤ ض ڞ ṯ ḏ 8 ˤ 8ʼ ظ ڟ z ɬ ˤ ɬ ʼ ʒ ذ چ ڌ چ ḳ kʼ ق e ɛ ɛ ː ي ێ See also EditSoqotri language Shehri languageNotes Edit Mehri at Ethnologue 25th ed 2022 nbsp Walter Dostal 1967 Die Beduinen in Sudarabien Eine ethnologische Studie zur Entwicklung der Kamelhirtenkultur in Arabien in German Vienna Ferdinand Berger and Sohne OHG p 133 fig 19 Abu Muhammad al Hasan Hamdani Sifat Jazirat al Arab probably ed 1884 134 tr Chaim Rabin 1951 Ancient West Arabian London Taylor s Foreign Press p 43 Rubin Aaron 2010 The Mehri Language of Oman BRILL pp 1 2 ISBN 9789004182639 Retrieved 24 March 2015 Watson amp Bellem Glottalisation and neutralisation in Hassan amp Heselwood eds Instrumental Studies in Arabic Phonetics 2011 Janet Watson January 2011 Lateral fricatives and lateral emphatics in southern Saudi Arabia and Mehri academia edu Rubin 2010 33 SIMEONE SENELLE Marie Claude November 2013 Mehri and Hobyot Spoken in Oman and Yemen LLACAN Langage Langues et Cultures d Afrique Noire 1 via HALSHS Rubin Aaron 2010 05 17 The Mehri Language of Oman BRILL p 12 ISBN 978 9004182639 a b OBEID ABDULLA ALFADLY HASSAN The Morphology of Mehri Qishn dialect in Yemen PDF Almakrami Mohsen Hebah 2015 11 22 Number Gender and Tense in Aljudhi Dialect of Mehri Language in Saudi Arabia Theory and Practice in Language Studies 5 11 2230 2241 doi 10 17507 tpls 0511 06 ISSN 1799 2591 a b Mehri Arabic Alphabet The Shahri language and its relationship with Classical Arabic Archived from the original on 2018 02 19 a b c Modern South Arabian Languages Centre Orthographic Characters University of Leeds 2019 05 15 a b James Dickins Bibliography of the Modern South Arabian Languages MSAL University of Leeds MSAL Centre 2019 05 15 Further reading EditRubin Aaron 2010 The Mehri Language of Oman Leiden Brill Rubin Aaron 2018 Omani Mehri A New Grammar with Texts Leiden Brill External links Edit in Arabic Examples of Mehri poetry from Hadramut forum ELAR archive of Mehri language documentation materials The Mehri language in south Yemen Al Jazeera Channel YouTube video in Arabic and Mehri Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mehri language amp oldid 1177351339, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
