Soqotra is an island that is part of the Republic of Yemen.It lies to the east of Somalia and around 380 kilometers (240 miles) south of Yemen. It is an archipelago consisting of four islands. The islands of Soqotra are stunningly beautiful, and in 2008 it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also in 2013 it became its own province after previously being governed by the provincial administration of Hadramawt.
The Soqotri language is related to other semitic languages referred to as Modern South Arabian Languages (MSAL). The other MSAL languages are Mehri, Harsusi, Bather, Shehri and Hobyot. There is a rich tradition of song and poetry which is celebrated in poetry competitions. Soqotri is still spoken widely and as recently as 2018 it was the preferred language of children starting school. Like a lot of languages Soqotri borrows words and phrases from other languages, but often it adapts these words changing the pronunciation to be more Soqotri. It has been noted that a group of students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in their 20's chose Soqotri as the preferred language of communication amongst themselves, maybe not the Soqotri of their parents and grand parents generations but a living adapting language.
In August 2024 it is exciting to report that the Soqotri Language Center is now taking the lead in developing a written alphabet for the Soqotri Language. The Soqotri literacy project is partnering with the Soqotri Language Center, the ministry of education, local universities and local communities to help Soqotri people as they develop their own language. As part of this process a corpus of literature is being developed.
If you are looking for general information about the Soqotra archipelago then you can find more information at. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socotra
