Harsusi first came to the attention of outside scholars in 1937, when it was mentioned by
Bertram Thomas in his book
Four Strange Tongues of South Arabia. most maintain that they are mutually intelligible but separate languages. Because the Harasis people were for centuries the only human inhabitants of Jiddat al-Harasis, the language developed in relative isolation. However, as most Harasis children now attend Arabic-language schools and are literate in Arabic, Harsusi is spoken less in the home, meaning that it is not being passed down to future generations. though this has not yet materialized.
UNESCO has categorised Harsusi as a language that is "definitely endangered". == Phonology ==