Gulf Arabic

variety of the Arabic language spoken in Eastern Arabia around the coasts of the Persian Gulf

Gulf Arabic (خليجي Ḵalījī local pronunciation: [χɐˈliːdʒi] or اللهجة الخليجية il-lahja il-Ḵalījīya, local pronunciation: [(ɪ)lˈlɐhdʒɐ lχɐˈliːdʒiːjɐ]) is a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Eastern Arabia[2] around the coasts of the Persian Gulf in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, eastern Saudi Arabia, northern Oman, and by some Iranian Arabs.[3]

Gulf Arabic
خليجي, Ḵalījī
اللهجة الخليجية, il-lahja il-Ḵalījīya
Pronunciation[χɐˈliːdʒi]
Native toBahrain, Qatar, UAE, and parts of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, Kuwait
Native speakers
6.8 million (2016)[1]
Arabic alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3afb
Glottologgulf1241

References change

Citations change

  1. Gulf Arabic at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)
  2. Holes (2001), pp. xvi–xvii.
  3. Languages of Iran Ethnologue

Sources change

  • Awde, Nicholas; Smith, Kevin (2003), Arabic dictionary, London: Bennett & Bloom, ISBN 1-898948-20-8
  • Frawley, William (2003), International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, vol. 1, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195139771
  • Holes, Clive (2001), Dialect, Culture, and Society in Eastern Arabia: Glossary, Brill, ISBN 9004107630
  • Qafisheh, Hamdi A. (1977), A short reference grammar of Gulf Arabic, Tucson, Az.: University of Arizona Press, ISBN 0-8165-0570-5

Further reading change