Modern South Arabian

An independent branch in the Semitic languages, niece to the Old South Arabian lects, situated in the east of Yemen and in Oman, the largest being the Mehri language extending over both countries with a six-digit speaker number, bordering, while thus embosoming the intermediary Hobyot, the Shehri (syn.: Jibbali) language in Oman, and further containing the small Bathari and Harsusi languages in Oman, + the larger Soqotri language on Soqotra.