Abstract

Soqotri (self-designated as di-sok’otríjje or mɛ́talˠ di-sak’ɔ́t ^ʕ ri) ² is spoken by the inhabitants of the island of Soqotra (Gulf of Aden, Yemen), roughly estimated as 100,000 people (see Map 12.1). Soqotri is the mother tongue of all native Soqotrans (Simeone-Senelle 1997b: 809). Since the number of immigrants (mostly Hadrami Arabs) is quite insignificant, one can safely conclude that the number of Soqotri speakers practically coincides with that of the island’s inhabitants. The number of Soqotri speakers inhabiting the neighboring islets of ʕAbd al-Kūrī and Samḥa is insignificant.