al-Tanahmir: the Himyaritic speech remnant
التنحْمير — بقايا اللسان الحميري
Al-Hamdani's register of the peninsula's tongues records that the highland Himyar and Ja'da keep 'something of tanahmir' — Himyaritic speech — eliding consonants: 'bi-bn Ma'am' for 'bi-bn al-'amm', 'simmi'' for 'isma''. He counts Kinda and Hamdan the most eloquent of the south, says Mahra's speech resembles the 'ajam's, and names Nahj, Abyan and Dathina the purest — the earliest detailed witness to Old Himyaritic surviving on fourth-century tongues 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Tanahmir is a feature in the speech of some people of Yemen, recorded by al-Hamdani in Sifat jazirat al-Arab. 2
What al-Hamdani records
He says that the speech of Saru Himyar and Ja'da contained "something of the tanahmir". They drew out their speech and elided sounds, saying "bi-ibn ma'm" for "bi-ibn al-amm" (with the son of the paternal uncle), and "simma'" for "isma'" (listen). 2
The eloquence of the tribes
He counted Kinda, Hamdan, and some of the Sadaf as the most eloquent people of Hadramawt and its environs. He said that Mahra resemble non-Arabs in their speech, and that Nahij, Abyan, and Dathina were the most eloquent. 2
Its significance
This page is considered the earliest detailed testimony to the survival of traces of the old Himyaritic language in the speech of the people of the fourth century. 2
People and things also explored
Arab naming of children after plants· The delegation of Banu Tamim and the boasting contest· Ka'b ibn Zuhayr's pardon and recitation of Banat Su'ad· Khuza'a's appeal to Medina· Salim ibn Umayr's mission to kill Abu Afak· Umayr ibn Adi al-Khatmi's mission to kill Asma' bint Marwan· The killing of Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf· Aban al-Lahiqi
Sources
- Sifat Jazirat al-Arab of al-Hamdani (Müller ed.), p. 117
- Sifat Jazirat al-Arab of al-Hamdani (Müller ed.), p.117
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Tanahmir: the Himyaritic speech remnant”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/al-tanahmir-himyari-speech/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.