Abstract This paper investigates the so-called halḥam (h-l-ḥ-m) letter order, arguing that it served as the foundational organizational principle of the first alphabet and was transmitted via distinct ‘letter families’ that functioned as acrophonic mnemonics. By analyzing the Ancient North Arabian (ANA) corpora—including Dhofari, Taymanitic, Thamudic B, and Himaitic inscriptions—the study reconstructs three stable initial clusters: hlḥmq, ws2rbt, and s1kn. It is further posited that these clusters were utilized as pronounceable pseudo-words to facilitate literacy, predating and perhaps inspiring the later Arabic abjad-hawwaz mnemonic system. Furthermore, the paper highlights a significant scribal evolution: while nomadic groups maintained these mnemonic families, sedentary societies such as those speaking Ancient South Arabian and Dadanitic eventually adopted institutionalized educational practices, including oral dictation and visual transcription. This transition reflects a shift from memory-based oral transmission to regulated scribal practice, though the underlying halḥam order remained a constant across the Peninsula.
Al-Jallad et al. (Sat,) studied this question.