Kumzari dialect
| Kumzari | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Oman |
| Region | Kumzar |
Native speakers | 2,300 (1993–2011)[1] |
|
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | zum |
Kumzari (Persian: کمزاری) is a Southwestern Iranian language,[2] which is similar to the Luri and Larestani languages. It is spoken by the Kumzaris (a subdivision of the Shihuh tribe)[3] in the Kumzar coast of the Musandam Peninsula, northern Oman. This is the only Iranian language spoken exclusively in the Arabian Peninsula. Kumzaris can also be found in the towns of Dibah and Khasab as well as various villages, and on Larak Island. Speakers are descendants of fishermen who inhabited the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The majority of vocabulary, as well as the grammatical and syntactic structure of the language, is Iranian. Despite the fact that it is spoken by Omani fishermen in the Persian Gulf, its phonology bears closer resemblance with the Persian language dialects of Fars province in Iran and is thought to be mutually understandable by the speakers of Luri.[4]
The number of Kumzari speakers is estimated at 10,000 native speakers, although the members of the tribe number at ca. 21,000 (2000 estimate). Members of the younger generation tend to learn Arabic instead of their native tongue. The language is not written and possesses no literature corpus.
References
- ↑ Kumzari reference at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
- ↑ Ethnologue report for Kumzari
- ↑ http://pr.sv.net/aw/2005/March/english/travel.htm
- ↑
External links
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