arabic dialect of Šaww community of northern oman 77
THE ARABIC DIALECT OF A ŠAWĀWĪ COMMUNITY OF NORTHERN OMAN
Domenyk Eades
1. Introduction The Šawāwī mountain nomads of northern Oman live in the mountains and inner pediment region of Jabal ajar, the vast mountain chain which extends from Musandam in the north of Oman in a broad arc through the interior of the country to Ra’s al- add in the south-east (Cordes & Scholz 1980:3-6).1 They reside mainly in the foothills, grazing their herds during the day on the sparse vegetation of the mountain plateaux and the wadis. They breed large numbers of donkeys, goats, sheep, and in some cases camels, and trade with the populations of nearby towns and villages in animals and animal products (Zaibet et al. 2004:133). In recent years most Šawāwī have permanently settled either within their traditional lands or in the long-established towns and villages of the mountain region. Nevertheless, rural Šawāwī communities generally retain much of their traditional social structure and pastoral way of life to this day. The traditional lifestyle of the Šawāwī is distinguished in a number of ways from that of the Badu. Prior to the recent settlement of most Šawāwī communities, they would camp for periods of up to a year within a single location, moving over relatively short distances within the mountain region. In contrast, the Badu would migrate over vast distances, and would typically camp in a single location for no more than a few months at a time. The Šawāwī are also distinguished from the Badu by their unique relationship with the sedentary populations of the towns and villages, as observed by Wilkinson (1977:63):
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I am grateful to the Šawāwī speakers who graciously participated in this study, in particular Suhail bin ʿAbs al-Rawāḥī. Many thanks are also due to Mubārak bin Ḥamūd al-Hidyīwī and Xalīfa bin Saʿīd al-Hidyīwī for introducing me to them, and to Khalṣa al-Aghbārī for her assistance in the transcription of the text.