Bahrani Arabic (also known as Bahrani or Baharna Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by the Baharna in Eastern Arabia and Oman. In Bahrain, the dialect is primarily spoken in Shia villages and some parts of Manama. In Saudi Arabia, the dialect is spoken in the governorate of Qatif. In Oman, it is spoken in the governorates of Al Dhahirah and Al Batinah.
The Bahrani Arabic dialect has been significantly influenced by the ancient Aramaic, Syriac, and Akkadian languages.
In Bahrain, Bahrani is more typical of the mostly-Shia and mostly-rural Baharna, who make up the older population group of Bahrain, and it exists alongside Gulf Arabic, which is mostly spoken by Sunni Arabs, who started arriving in the late 18th century. The Gulf Arabic of the Sunni Arabs, who are concentrated in the cities of Bahrain, and importantly include the royal family, became the prestige language of the country, leading to Baharna Arabic becoming influenced by it.
The Persian language has debatably had the most foreign linguistic influence on all Bahraini dialects.Dialect, Culture, and Society in Eastern Arabia: Glossary. Clive Holes. 2001. Page xxx. The differences between Bahrani Arabic and other Bahraini dialects suggest differing historical origins. The main differences between Bahrani and non-Bahrani dialects are evident in certain grammatical forms and pronunciation. Most of the vocabulary, however, is shared between dialects, or is distinctly Bahraini, arising from a shared modern history.
Examples of words borrowed from other languages Bānkeh 'Ceiling fan' from Hindi 'Paṅkhā' (पंखा) or Persian 'Pankeh' (پنکه). Soumān 'Equipment' from Urdu 'Sāmān' (سامان). Jūtī 'Shoe' from Hindi or Urdu 'Jūta' (جوتا). Laytar 'Lighter' from English. Darīšeh 'Window' from Persian 'Darīčeh' (دریچه). Doušag 'Mattress' from Persian 'Došak' (دوشک). Orradi 'Already' from English. Layt 'Light' from English.
Like Gulf Arabic, Bahrani Arabic has borrowed some vocabulary from Persian, Urdu, Ottoman Turkish, and more recently from English.
Features Researcher Clive Holes divided the sedentary dialects of the Gulf to two types: Type A, which includes the dialects of Sunni tribes that settled in Eastern Arabia between the 17th and 19th century, and the Huwala. This group includes the standard Gulf Arabic dialects of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE. Type B, which includes the dialects of Omani Ibadis and Eastern Arabian Shia (the Baharna). Bahrani Arabic (called Baḥrānī by its speakers) shares many features with surrounding Type A dialects (e.g. Kuwait, UAE, Qatar). Some general features: Classical Arabic /q/ becomes /g~ɢ/, for example gamar (moon), /k/ in some dialects (mostly around A'ali), and /dʒ/ in the dialects of Ras Rumman. Classical Arabic /ð/ becomes /d/, for example danab (tail). /q/ and /ð/ is preserved for some Classical Arabic borrowings, for example [ðulqaʕdah] (Dhu Al-Qa'dah). Affrication of /k/ to /tʃ/ in many words, for example [tʃalb] (dog). /θ/ has the free variant /f/, and in some dialects /t/, for example falāfeh or talāteh (three). /dʒ/ becomes /j/ in some rural dialects, for example yiḥḥeh (watermelon). Usage of -š suffix (/ʃ/) as a feminine second-person pronoun akin to masculine -k, for example babiš (your door).
Phonology + Bahrani Arabic consonants Labial Dental Denti-alveolar Alveolar Palatal VelarUvular Pharyngeal Glottal plain emphatic plain emphaticNasal Plosivevoiceless () voiced ~ɢFricativevoiceless voiced () Tap ɾApproximant +Bahrani Arabic vowelsFrontBackClose Mid() () Open
See also Varieties of Arabic Peninsular Arabic
Notes
References
Further reading Mahdi Abdalla Al-Tajir. 1983. Language and Linguistic Origins in Bahrain: The Bahrani Dialect of Arabic. Clive Holes. 1983. "Bahraini Dialects: Sectarian Differences and the Sedentary/Nomadic Split," Zeitschrift für arabische Linguistik 10:7-38. Clive Holes. 1987. Language Variation and Change in a Modernising Arab State: The Case of Bahrain. Clive Holes. 2001. Dialect, Culture, and Society in Eastern Arabia: Glossary. Clive Holes, "Dialect and National Identity. The Cultural Politics of Self-Representation in Bahraini Musalsalat", in Paul Dresch and James Piscatori (eds), Monarchies and Nations: Globalisation and Identity in the Arab states of the Gulf, London: I.B. Tauris, 2005, p. 60.
External links
Baharna Arabic Travel Phrases Dialects of the Arabian Peninsula