الملخص الإنجليزي
This study examines the current linguistic status of indigenous Modern South Arabian Languages (MSAL) in the South of Oman. It reports the attitudes of their speakers and attempts to look into their future, exploring whether they are in maintenance or regress. In Oman, where Arabic is dominant, the use of these languages is reduced to oral interaction between their native speakers at home and with friends. The speakers' attitudes towards them vary in the face of counter-pressures from the dominant language. In order to assess their present status and speakers' attitudes, a questionnaire was distributed to 77 subjects at two local universities in Oman. The study reveals that although these languages are confined in their use to limited domains and settings, they are highly valued by their native speakers as ethnic and cultural symbols, which may secure their maintenance. Garrett (2010:11) stated that "…attitudes can play a key role in whether they [indigenous minority languages] survive, revive, re-flourish, or whether they die out…".
