What Language Is Used In Oman ?
Arabic is the official language of Oman. However, the natives speak in different vernaculars of Arabic. |
The various dialects of Arabic used by native speakers of various regions in Oman include Baharna, Dhofari and Shihhi, depending on the proximity of their region to a neighboring country.These languages are spoken by people in the coastal villages, town and cities and this can be attributed to the influx of traders from the other Middle East countries through the Sea-route. Also, the dialect spoken by the natives in villages are different from those in the cities. Balochi, Bathari and Farsi are among the other languages that are spoken in Oman. The Balochi language is an offshoot of South Arabia. Despite this, the Balochi language is not similar to the Arabic spoken by the natives in Oman. French and Swahili are other languages widely spoken in Oman. This is because of the cordial relations between the two countries, Oman and Zanzibar, dating back to several centuries.
Although, the main native language is a vernacular of Arabic, Oman has given English the status of a second language. This is reflected in the fact that most signboards are in Arabic and English.
Oman has a significant expatriate population. These expatriate populations speak their native languages and hence, there are various immigrant languages as well. They include Hindi, Sindhi, Portuguese, Swahili, Somali and Urdu.
As per the reports, the total number of exclusively spoken languages in Oman is a whopping 15 and all the 15 have the status of living languages.
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