Yemeni Arabic Dialect and Its Developmental Features: A Lexical and Etymological Study of the Sanaani Vernacular

اللهجة اليمنية ومظاهر تطورها: دراسة معجمية وتأصيلية في محكية صنعاء

Abstract

This study aims to demonstrate the authenticity and Arabic roots of the Yemeni dialect by selecting the Sana'ani dialect as an applied research model. The premise of this study is that judging the Arabic authenticity of any dialect first requires tracing the aspects of linguistic evolution it has undergone. Many usages that might be considered today as linguistic errors or corruption are, in fact, natural outcomes of the laws of linguistic evolution and the tendency towards ease of articulation—principles that governed ancient Arabic dialects.

To achieve this objective, the research adopted a two-track approach. The first is a foundational track, focusing on the study of phonological and morphological changes in the spoken Sana'ani dialect to uncover their roots and link them to the documented heritage of ancient tribal dialects. This includes phenomena such as Kashkasha, Nacht (blending) and its accompanying elision, Taltala, and morphological agreement in verbal attribution. The second track is lexical, tracing the semantic shift of several words used daily in the Sana'ani dialect to illustrate how their meanings have altered, specialized, or broadened to suit the nature and environment of Sana'ani society.

The study relied on the descriptive approach to collect linguistic data from the field, and the historical-comparative approach to link this data to its origins in classical Arabic dictionaries and ancient Yemeni Musnad inscriptions. Among the most prominent findings of this research is that the Sana'ani dialect represents an authentic Arabic linguistic system. The developments it has undergone over time do not negate its Arabic identity; rather, they prove its historical continuity and profound connection with the Arabic linguistic heritage.