Shehri language
Encyclopedia
Jibbali - frequently called Shehri (or "mountain" language) in Oman
i Arabic - is a South Arabian
(or Eastern South Semitic) language spoken by a minority native population in the mountains and wilderness areas upland from Salalah
in Dhofar Province
in the southwest of the Oman.
While sometimes confused as a dialect of Arabic even by Omani Arabs, Shehri belongs to another branch of the Semitic languages.
It had an estimated 25,000 speakers in the 1993 census and is best known as the language of the Dhofari rebels during the Dhofar Rebellion
along the country’s border with Marxist South Yemen in the 1970s.
Alternative names/spellings for the language are: Geblet, Sheret, Sehri, Shahari, Jibali, Jibbali, Ehkili, Qarawi.
Shehri is spoken along a dialect continuum that includes Western Jibbali, Central Jibbali, and Eastern Jibbali, which includes 'Baby' Jibbali spoken in Al-Hallaniyah
in the Khuriya Muriya Islands
.
Like most Modern South Arabian dialect speakers in Oman
and Yemen
, many Shehri speakers are bilingual in local dialects of Arabic, especially the Dhofari dialect. In addition, it is primarily a spoken language, and native speakers are normally not literate in it. All this has implications for the long-term survival of the language, although currently Jibbali pride and has contributed to a strengthening of speakers’ attachment to their minority language.
The population of Oman is highly tribalized socially, whether Jibbali or Arab, and Shehri speakers, too, are divided into (also called Ehkeló, Ahkló),and non-Arabs such as Shahra (Sheró, Shahara), Barahama, Bait Ash-Shaik, and Batahira.
(Ref. SIL Ethnologue online)
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
i Arabic - is a South Arabian
South Arabian
The Modern South Arabian languages are spoken mainly by minority populations in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen and Oman, which, together with the Ethiopian Semitic languages, form the Western South Semitic branch. In his glottochronology-based classification, A...
(or Eastern South Semitic) language spoken by a minority native population in the mountains and wilderness areas upland from Salalah
Salalah
Salalah , is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009....
in Dhofar Province
Dhofar
The Dhofar region lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen. Its mountainous area covers and has a population of 215,960 as of the 2003 census. The largest town in the region is Salalah. Historically, it was the chief source of frankincense in the world. However, its frankincense...
in the southwest of the Oman.
While sometimes confused as a dialect of Arabic even by Omani Arabs, Shehri belongs to another branch of the Semitic languages.
It had an estimated 25,000 speakers in the 1993 census and is best known as the language of the Dhofari rebels during the Dhofar Rebellion
Dhofar Rebellion
The Dhofar Rebellion was launched in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, which had British support, from 1962 to 1976. It ended with the defeat of the rebels, but the state of Oman had to be radically reformed and modernised to cope with the campaign.-Background:In...
along the country’s border with Marxist South Yemen in the 1970s.
Alternative names/spellings for the language are: Geblet, Sheret, Sehri, Shahari, Jibali, Jibbali, Ehkili, Qarawi.
Shehri is spoken along a dialect continuum that includes Western Jibbali, Central Jibbali, and Eastern Jibbali, which includes 'Baby' Jibbali spoken in Al-Hallaniyah
Al-Hallaniyah
Al Hallaniyah is the largest and only inhabited of the Khuriya Muriya Islands, which belong to Oman. It is located in the center of the group, eight kilometers east of Al-Sawda, the closest island, and the second largest of the group. The area is 56 km². The only village is located on the flat...
in the Khuriya Muriya Islands
Khuriya Muriya Islands
The Khuriya Muriya Islands are a group of five islands in the Arabian Sea, off the southeastern coast of the Sultanate of Oman. The islands form part of the province of Shalim and the Hallaniyat Islands in the governorate of Dhofar....
.
Like most Modern South Arabian dialect speakers in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, many Shehri speakers are bilingual in local dialects of Arabic, especially the Dhofari dialect. In addition, it is primarily a spoken language, and native speakers are normally not literate in it. All this has implications for the long-term survival of the language, although currently Jibbali pride and has contributed to a strengthening of speakers’ attachment to their minority language.
The population of Oman is highly tribalized socially, whether Jibbali or Arab, and Shehri speakers, too, are divided into (also called Ehkeló, Ahkló),and non-Arabs such as Shahra (Sheró, Shahara), Barahama, Bait Ash-Shaik, and Batahira.
(Ref. SIL Ethnologue online)