A Musandam Arabic text from Lima (Oman)

  • Simone Bettega University of Turin
  • Fabio Gasparini University of Turin

Abstract

This paper presents a short unpublished text recorded in the town of Lima, a small settlement located on the eastern shore of the Musandam peninsula (formally an Omani exclave). The text is fully transcribed and glossed, and a discussion follows in which the main phonological and grammatical peculiarities of the informant’s speech are investigated. The analysis confirms the findings of the few existing studies on Musandam Arabic, and adds some previously undocumented features, discussing their possible relations with other dialects of the Gulf Area. In particular, the hypothesis is put forward that some of the traits typically encountered in Musandam Arabic may find their ultimate origin in the southernmost regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

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Author Biographies

Simone Bettega, University of Turin

Simone Bettega received his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Turin, where he currently works as a researcher. He focuses on Arabic dialects (in particular the varieties spoken in southern and eastern Arabia), and his research interests include the typology of syntactic structures, language documentation and historical linguistics.

Simone can be reached at: simone.bettega@unito.it

Fabio Gasparini, University of Turin

Fabio Gasparini received his PhD in African, Asian and Mediterranean Studies from the University of Naples “L’Orientale.” He currently holds a Postdoc position at the University of Turin. His research focuses on the Modern South Arabian languages and Semitic in general from a comparative and typological perspective and on the relationship between language and identity. Fabio can be reached at: fabio.gsparini@gmail.com

Published
2022-07-30