Soqotri | Ethnologue

A language of Yemen

ISO 639: sqt
Alternate Names: Saqatri, Socotri, Sokotri, South Arabian, Suqutri
Autonym: méthel d-saqátri
Population: 108,000 (2018).
Location:: Amanat al Asimah governorate: ’Abd al-Kuri, Darsah, Samha, and Soqotra islands in the Gulf of Aden.
Language Status: 6b (Threatened).
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South, South Arabian
Dialects: ’Abd Al-Kuri, Southern Soqotri, Northern Soqotri, Central Soqotri, Western Soqotri. Northern Soqotri includes North Central and Northwest Central (highland) Soqotri. Mostly monolingual in Soqotri.
Language Use: The language is used socially especially among women but also in the market if both people involved are L1 speakers (2020 S. Warwick). Some of all ages. The language is used in each generational group, but the language is losing users, and L1 speakers are less proficient in their language than they used to be (2020 S. Warwick).
Language Development: Bible portions: 1902.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Soqotri
Writing: Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: In every region of the island, including the capital, teachers report that they spend the first three years of schooling translating materials into Soqotri (2020 S. Warwick). Muslim.

Location: Amanat al Asimah governorate: ’Abd al-Kuri, Darsah, Samha, and Soqotra islands in the Gulf of Aden.