Arabic, Omani Spoken

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A language of Oman

ISO 639-3

acx

Alternate Names

Omani Hadari Arabic

Autonym

عماني‎ (ʿumāni)

Population

2,030,000 in Oman (2017). Total users in all countries: 2,622,000.

Location

Widespread, mainly in Hajar mountain highlands and a few coastal regions.

Language Maps

Oman

Language Status

6a* (Vigorous).

Classification

Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic

Dialects

A member of macrolanguage Arabic [ara].

Typology

SVO.

Language Use

Used as L2 by Harsusi [hss].

Language Development

Dictionary. Grammar.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Arabic, Omani Spoken

Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab].

Also spoken in:

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Kenya

Language nameArabic, Omani Spoken

Population Full

15,000 in Kenya (1995), increasing.

Location

Scattered. Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, and Tana River counties.

Status

6a (Vigorous).

Language Use

Important for religious practice. Home, religion. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng], Standard Arabic [arb], Swahili [swh].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: Over 80% for religion. Literacy rate in L2: Over 50% in Arabic. Literacy is in Standard Arabic [arb] through Quranic schools.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous. May have come to Kenya as early as A.D. 900, originally from Yemen and Oman. Muslim.

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Tanzania

Language nameArabic, Omani Spoken

Population Full

No known L1 speakers in Tanzania. Ethnic population: 195,000 (Johnstone 1993).

Location

Unguja North, Unguja South regions, Unguja Urban-West regions.

Status

9 (Dormant).

Language Use

Most in Tanzania for several generations, originally from Yemen and Oman. Most now use Swahili [swh] as L1.

Language Development

Literacy is in Arabic.

Other Comments

Non-indigenous. Muslim.

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Ethnologue

Arabic, Omani Spoken

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A language of Oman

Also spoken in:

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