Arabic language retention is widely theorised as central to the cultural reproduction of Arab diaspora communities, yet its empirical relationship with cultural maintenance has rarely been examined through systematic multivariate analysis in the Indian context. Drawing on original survey data from 214 third-generation and beyond Yemeni-origin households across three Indian states Telangana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka this study tests Arabic language ability as a predictor of cultural maintenance practices, supranational identity, and employment outcomes. OLS regression analysis reveals that Arabic ability is the single strongest predictor of cultural maintenance (β = .497, p < .001), accounting for over 52% of variance in cultural maintenance scores in a five-predictor model (R² = .528). Kruskal-Wallis tests demonstrate significant state-level variation in both Arabic retention and cultural maintenance (H = 142.35 and H = 145.04, respectively, both p < .001), with Telangana communities exhibiting substantially higher scores than Maharashtra and Karnataka counterparts. Joint family structure further moderates cultural maintenance (H = 19.005, p < .001). These findings suggest that language is not merely a marker of heritage but an active transmission mechanism a cultural carrier that transports and reproduces Yemeni identity across centuries of settlement. The results have implications for theories of long-settled diaspora, heritage language maintenance, and the relationship between linguistic and cultural assimilation in South Asian Muslim communities.