ABSTRACT
Ancient South Arabian is a group of epigraphically attested languages of the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, roughly the area of present day Yemen. It is documented in inscriptions covering a range from the early first millennium bce up to the 6th century ce. Though often treated as one common language “Ancient South Arabian,” it can actually be divided into four different languages: Sabaic, Qatabanic, Minaic and Hadramaitic. Grammatical, lexical and idiomatic interferences between neighboring languages are common and can be attributed to both close relationship between different populations and alterations in their political affiliation. Relations between these languages evolved in different ways. Sabaic and Minaic can be clearly separated from each other in questions of grammar, style and featured textual elements right from the start, even though idiomatic and lexical peculiarities of Minaic diminished in the course of their common history in favor of a Sabaic “standard,” eventually ending up with the disappearance of the Minaic language.
