Description
This work critically evaluates the linguistic and historical models governing the classification of Ancient South Arabian (ASA) languages within the Semitic family, challenging theories that attribute the emergence of ASA civilization to a Bronze Age migration from Northern Arabia. Re-examining grammatical, morphological, and epigraphic data, the author argues against the rigid dichotomy between "innovative" Sabaic and "archaic" non-Sabaic languages (Minaic, Qatabanic, and Hadramitic). Instead, the monograph proposes an endogenous model of development rooted in Southern Arabia, supported by recent archaeological evidence of long-term settlement continuity. By analyzing verbal syntax, prefixed conjugation, and onomastics across Early Sabaic and non-Sabaic traditions, the work demonstrates that instances of "Sabaeization" reflect scribal conventions and the transmission of writing systems from a cultural dissemination center in the Jawf region rather than political dominance or population movement. Ultimately, it advocates for a processual framework in Semitic historical linguistics.
