Arabic, Najdi Spoken
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A language of Saudi Arabia
843,000 (2011 J. Leclerc). Total users in all countries: 4,488,300.
Widespread, especially interior areas; includes Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Qasim, and Ha’il provinces; Al Madinah al Munawwarah province: Ta’if area and east; Ash Sharqiyah province north; Ar Riyad province: all but southeast; ’Asir and Najran provinces: south and west; Jizan province: small border area; Tabuk province: northeast.
3 (Wider communication). De facto national working language.
North Najdi (Bani Khaalid, Dafiir, Shammari), Central Najdi (’Ajmaan, Al-Qasiim, ’Awaazim, Biishah, Haayil, Hofuf, Mutair, Najraan, Rashaayda, Riyadh, Rwala, Sudair, ’Utaiba, Wild ’Ali), South Anjdi (Aal Murrah, Najran). Some dialects spoken by Bedouins. A member of macrolanguage Arabic [ara].
SVO.
Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab].
Muslim.