This work is the first book-length ethno-linguistic study of Sanani-Arabic. The book comprises
twenty-eight original oral texts which have been transcribed translated and annotated by the
author a linguistic introduction to the texts a glossary of all words contained in the texts
and a list of references. Each of the texts deals with one or more aspects of Yemeni culture.
These include: the old city oil presses the old watercourse bread the development of
restaurants Yemeni cooking and recipes travel in Yemen gat Yemeni architecture the
water-pipe children's games of yesterday and today Islamic festivals and weddings. The texts
are principally descriptions narratives or mixed descriptive-narratives of personal
experience. Together they tell a story of change and of what remains despite the forces of
change - the rules of hospitality fasting food the bath-houses - and show Yemen as a country
where tradition and innovation are intriguingly interwoven.
