, ▁or ▁Eastern ▁South ▁Sem it ic ▁languages , ▁are ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁end anger ed ▁languages ▁spoken ▁by ▁small ▁populations ▁inhab iting ▁the ▁Arab ian ▁Pen ins ula , ▁in ▁Y emen ▁and ▁O man , ▁and ▁Soc ot ra ▁Island . ▁T ogether ▁with ▁the ▁modern ▁Eth iop ian ▁Sem it ic ▁languages , ▁the ▁Western ▁branch , ▁they ▁form ▁the ▁South ▁Sem it ic ▁sub - branch ▁of ▁the ▁Af ro asi atic ▁language ▁family ' s ▁Sem it ic ▁branch . ▁ ▁Classification ▁In ▁his ▁gl otto chron ology - based ▁classification , ▁Alexander ▁Milit are v ▁presents ▁the ▁Modern ▁South ▁Arab ian ▁languages ▁as ▁a ▁South ▁Sem it ic ▁branch ▁opposed ▁to ▁a ▁North ▁Sem it ic ▁branch ▁that ▁includes ▁all ▁the ▁other ▁Sem it ic ▁languages . ▁They ▁are ▁no ▁longer ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁Old ▁South ▁Arab ian ▁language , ▁as ▁was ▁once ▁thought , ▁but ▁instead ▁" ne phe ws ". ▁ ▁L anguages ▁Me h ri : ▁the ▁largest ▁Modern ▁South ▁Arab ian ▁language , ▁with ▁over ▁ 1 6 5 , 0 0 0 ▁speak ers . ▁Most ▁Me h ri ▁speak ers , ▁around ▁ 7 6 , 0 0 0 , ▁live ▁in ▁O man , ▁but ▁around ▁ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁live ▁in ▁Y emen , ▁and ▁around ▁ 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁speak ers ▁live ▁as ▁guest ▁workers ▁in ▁K uw ait ▁and ▁Sa udi ▁Arab ia . ▁Me h ri