Under the slogan “Establishing and Approving the Written System of the Mehri Language,” and under the auspices of Sheikh Rajeh Saeed Bakrit, Governor of Al-Mahrah Governorate, the Mahri Language Center for Studies and Research held a scientific workshop, in which many specialized academics participated, from inside and outside the governorate, and in the presence of official and popular researchers and those interested in the Mehri language. The workshop lasted for two days, 19-20 June 2019. The workshop focused on three topics , and a number of papers and proposals submitted by the participants were discussed.The workshop included several sessions during the two days.First dayFirst sessionThe first session was chaired by Dr. Adel Karama Maeili, Dean of the Faculty of Al-Mahra Education, and Head of the Studies Department at the Centre. Many scientific papers were reviewed in this session, all of which discussed the first topic of the workshop – identifying the historical lines in which ancient and contemporary Arabic writing was written, which are as follows:1- The alphabets of the world dr. Amer Fael Balhaf – Professor of Grammar and Language at Najran University, and Head of the Mehri Language Center for Studies and Research.2- The universality of the Arabic alphabet dr. Abd al-Razzaq al-Qawsi, a linguistic researcher and specialist in international alphabets, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.3- Old Arabic scripts, a. Khaled Saad Al-Huraizy – BA in Antiquities and Ancient Writings, King Saud University, Riyadh.The second session was chaired by Dr. Anwar Muhammad Ali Kalshat – Secretary General of the Mehri Language Center for Studies and Research. In this session, the researchers reviewed five scientific papers. All of these works focused on the second topic of the workshop – discussing the dialects of the Mehri language and identifying the most prominent phonetic differences between them:1- “Aswams and Vowels in the Mehri Dialects of Mehri Najd and Mehri Al-Sahel, an interpretive study translated by the English researcher Professor Janet Watson” by Dr. Saeed Saad Najadan Al-Qumairi, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Skilled Humanities and Executive Director of the Mehri Language Center for Studies and Research.2- “A phonetic analysis of consonants in the Mehri dialect of Qishn” by Dr. Hassan Obaid Abdullah Al-FadhliVice Dean for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Faculty of Arts, Hadramout University3-“Ascendants and Vowels in the Mehri Hobiot Dialect: A Descriptive Study in the Light of Modern Phonology” by Dr. Ali Omar Manoubi, Professor of French at the University of Nizwa and Researcher of Mehri Dialects at the French Sorbonne University.4 – “The Reality of the Contemporary Mehri Language and Descriptive Notes of the Sounds of the Mehri Language in Central Omani Dhofar Desert” by Professor Suhail Saeed Sorour Thawar Al-Mahri, a poet and linguistic researcher interested in the Mehri language.5- “Somites and Vowels in the Mehri Hoswin Dialect: A Phonetic Study” by Dr. Mosaad Amer Sidon, a linguistic researcher and specialist in poetry and Arabic literature at the University of Madinah in Malaysiathe second dayThis session delved into the depth of the issue, and dealt with the third topic of the workshop – determining the type of font in which the Mehri language will be written, as Professor Suhail Sorour Al-Mahri chaired it and managed its scientific papers:1- “Al-Musnad font and new horizons in development” by Professor Sultan Muhammad Saeed Al-Maqtari, Professor of Digital Fonts Design – Aden Community Faculty and Director of the Sultan Fonts Professional, where he reviewed in his paper the most prominent works and fonts that he designed in scientific and technological design, expressing his willingness to cooperate with the center in designing any agreed line.2- “Development of the Mehri Language” by Dr. Abd al-Razzaq al-Qawsi, a linguist researcher and specialist in international alphabets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through a video recording presented by projector technology, due to his inability to come to al-Mahra. In his intervention, the researcher explained the importance of the written system of the Mehri language and how to develop it.3- – “The Importance of the Written System and a Course in Preserving the Mehri Language” by Dr. Anwar Kalshat, Secretary General of the Mehri Language Center for Studies and Research.5- “Mehri letters using Arabic calligraphy” by Professor Abdulaziz Ahmed Asad Al-Shanfari, master’s student at the Faculty of Skilled Education.Fourth and final session:The session was concluded with the chair of Dr. Amer Fael Balhaf About two writing systems, namely: the Arabic alphabet and the Musnad line, and came out with recommendations, the most prominent of which is to assign a committee of specialists formed by the Mehri Language Center to study which written systems are best and most suitable for the Mehri language, in a careful and deep manner and on clear scientific foundations and standards.Finally, we can only thank everyone who participated and contributed to the success of this joyful scientific forum, which was held for the first time in Al-Mahra Governorate.
