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Bathari language

Yaeli Flam

Social Work major/Arabic minor '19

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Bathari is a language belonging to the Modern South Arabian language group, and is spoken in Dhofar in Southern Oman on the coast. It is one of the Modern South Arabian languages that is considered closer to Ethiopian languages than to Arabic. The language is considered endangered and said to be spoken by 12-300 people (sources vary.)

The language is spoken by the Batahira, a small tribe of mostly fisherman and nomads living around Al-Shuwaymiyya and Sharbithat in Oman. The language and it's speakers are scattered among different cities in the provinces of Dhufar and Al-wusta, and mostly in the coastal towns (as many of the speakers are fisherman.) These coastal towns include Al-Shwaimia, Shalim, Alakbi, Sharbathat,Azakhar, Suqrah, and Alhalanyat Islands (previously called the Kuria Muria Islands.)

The article will talk more about who speaks Bathari and more about the history of the Batahira people in relation to the language. Why and how it is going extinct and its relation to Omani Arabic, the dominant language will also be included. Other additions include the dispute over the number of speakers, whether it is a dialect or a language, and particular things that stand out about Bathari as opposed to the other MSA languages.

One of the most known names in regards to research about Bathari is Bertram Thomas, who came across Harsusi (another MSA language) and Bathari in 1929 and wrote about it. It's believed that during the Mehri conquest, the Batahira adopted their language, and this created a separation between the Shahra tribe who was being conquered by the Qarawi. This is said to be how Bathari became it's own separate distinct language.

Although the tribe still exists, the language itself is slowly being replaced because of modern education being conducted solely in Arabic.

The number of tribe members is estimated at about 300, and this is not necessarily the number of speakers of Bathari because not everyone in the tribe can speak the language. The decline of the language is most apparent in the vocabulary of children because the dominant MSA education, and it has been noted that most speakers are aware of MSA's role in the decline of Bathari.

The exact number of Bathari speakers is impossible to know because there is no census as well as the fact that not all speakers are fluent or even semi-fluent. However, some sources say the speakers are 12-20 and others say the total speakers is 300.

Researchers have said that Bathari is simply a dialect of Mehri, while others, such as Simeone-Senelle consider Bathari a separate language. However, all researchers agree that Bathari and Mehri are similar in many ways.

Batahari is the least known MSA dialect, and only several incomplete word lists have been published, one of them by Bertrand Thomas.

Some other names for the language are Bitahreyt, Batahari, Bathara, Bathari, Bautahari, Botahari

The Batahira tribe was regarded as subordinate by their conquerors and didn't have the same job opportunities in the oil industry, which is partially why they stayed in the coasts as fishermen.

The Batahira also discovered a "branch" of their tribe who call themselves Bit Bit'ha and live in the Dhofar mountains. Even though they speak Jibbali and not Bathari, relations were established between them. Bathari also retains the Arabic 'Ain letter while other MSA languages like Shehri do not.

Bibliography

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12) http://www.verbix.com/maps/language/Bathari.html

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