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EntityQ33299· pop 16· linked from 141 articles

Also known as Hobyót language, Hobyot, Hobyot language, Hewbyót, Habyot, Hobi, Weyheybyot

Hobyót (Arabic: لغة هوبيوت , also known as Hewbyót, Habyot, or Hobi), natively known as Weyheybyot, is one of the six Modern South Arabian languages (MSAL), a group of South Semitic languages spoken in the southern Arabian Peninsula. A severely-endangered Semitic language on the verge of extinction, it is spoken in a small area near the Yemen-Oman border. The speaking population is estimated to be about 1000 in Oman and 40 in Yemen, though the true number may be less.

Key facts

Language.name
Hobyót
Language.pronunciation
,
Language.states
Yemen, Oman
Language.speakers
500
Language.date
1998-2010
Language.ref
e25
Language.familycolor
Afro-Asiatic
Language.fam2
Semitic
Language.fam3
West Semitic
Language.fam4
South Semitic
Language.fam5
Southeast Semitic
Language.iso3
hoh
Language.map
Modern South Arabian Languages.svg
Language.glotto
hoby1242
Language.glottorefname
Hobyot
Language.map2
Lang Status 40-SE.svg

via Wikipedia infobox

~6 min read

Article

9 sections
Contents
  • History of documentation
  • Geographic distribution
  • Phonology
  • Consonants
  • Vowels
  • Endangerment
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Hobyót (Arabic: لغة هوبيوت , also known as Hewbyót, Habyot, or Hobi), natively known as Weyheybyot, is one of the six Modern South Arabian languages (MSAL), a group of South Semitic languages spoken in the southern Arabian Peninsula. A severely-endangered Semitic language on the verge of extinction, it is spoken in a small area near the Yemen-Oman border. The speaking population is estimated to be about 1000 in Oman and 40 in Yemen, though the true number may be less.

Its usage is less associated with a specific community or tribe of people, and more related to the geographical area in which it is spoken (the mountainous Dhufar/Yemen border). Much of the information regarding Hobyot's existence originated through the study of the more dominant, neighboring Modern South Arabian languages like Mehri and Jibbali. A clear linguistic description of Hobyot is difficult, as many speakers mix Mehri into their speech around outsiders.

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