Bahraini Gulf Arabic Explained

Bahraini Gulf Arabic should not be confused with Bahrani Arabic.

Bahraini Gulf Arabic
Also Known As:Bahraini Sunni Arabic
States:Bahrain
Date:2019
Familycolor:Afro-Asiatic
Fam2:Semitic
Fam3:Central Semitic
Fam4:Arabic
Fam5:Peninsular
Fam6:Gulf
Iso1:none
Nation:Not official in any country
Agency:Not recognised as a language
Glotto:bahr1247
Glottorefname:Bahraini Gulf Arabic
Glottofoot:no

Bahraini Gulf Arabic is a Gulf Arabic dialect spoken in Bahrain. It is spoken by Bahraini Sunni Arabs and is a dialect which is most similar to the dialect spoken in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE.

An sociolinguistic feature of Bahrain is the existence of three distinct dialects: Bahrani Arabic (a dialect primarily spoken by Baharna in Shia villages and some parts of Manama), Sunni and Ajami Arabic.[1]

In Bahrain, the Sunni muslims form a minority of the population, but the ruling family is Sunni. Therefore, the Arabic dialect represented on TV is almost invariably that of the Sunni population. Therefore, power, prestige and financial control are associated with the Sunni Arabs. This is having a major effect on the direction of language change in Bahrain.[2]

As with all Bahraini dialects, it is heavily influenced by the Persian language.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bassiouney, Reem . Arabic Sociolinguistics. 2009. Edinburgh University Press. Edinburgh. 105–107. 5.
  2. Holes, C. (1984). Bahraini dialects: sectarian differences exemplified through texts.' Zeitschrift fur arabische Linguistik 10. pp.433–457.