Baṭḥari language

Name

The name Bathari has been variously rendered: *Batahari, Bautahari, Botahari, Bathara. *

The stress always falls on the last long syllable in Bathari, unless the stress unit is only composed of short syllables. In this case, the first syllable is stressed. As with other Modern South Arabian languages, Bathari nouns have two genders (masculine and feminine) and three numbers (singular, dual and plural), but the dual is reportedly obsolete. The ending -(v)t marks feminine nouns, apart from loanwords from Arabic that end in ''-h'.''' Also, it is not Shahri but Bathari which retains (or perhaps has retaken, from Arabic) the Arabic-like 'ain.

Some Bathari words were mentioned in Johnstone's Mehri Lexicon and Jibbali Lexicon (1981). Stroomer affirms that it is a dialect of Mehri (p. xii), whereas Simeone-Senelle considers it a separate language. She does admit, however, that Bathari, along with Harsusi, is closely related to Mehri.

The most important steps towards a comprehensive descriptive grammar of Bathari language were made by Gasparini (2018). An extensive descriptive grammar and a collection of transcribed texts have been recently published.

Threat of Extinction

In addition to the threat of Arabic, Mehri also threatens to replace the Bathari language due to its less prestigious position. The tribe seems to be dying out with the language also under threat from modern education solely in Arabic. The Bathari language is nearly extinct. Estimates are that the number of remaining speakers are under 100. In 2016, Janet Watson gave an estimate of 12 to 20 (in “Language, Culture, and the Environment”). In 2019, the UAE's The National newspaper put the number of remaining elderly fluent speakers left at just 12 to 17, as well as a few dozen middle-aged speakers who mixed it with Arabic.

References

References

1. Simeone-Senelle, Marie-Claude. "MEHRI AND HOBYOT SPOKEN IN OMAN AND YEMEN".
2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), "[https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026/PDF/187026eng.pdf.multi Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]" pp. 186–7, 2010.
3. Morris, Miranda. (2025). "A descriptive grammar of Bəṭaḥrēt (Baṭḥari)". Harrassowitz Verlag.
4. (2004). "Harsusi Texts from Oman: Based on the Field Materials of T.M. Johnstone". Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.
5. "Where on earth do they speak Bathari?".
6. Matthews, Charles D.. (1969-01-01). "Modern South Arabian Determination-A Clue Thereto from Shaḥri". Journal of the American Oriental Society.
7. Kaye, Alan S.. (2001-01-01). "Review of Mehri Texts from Oman (Based on Field Materials of T. M. Johnstone)". Journal of the American Oriental Society.
8. "The Baṭḥari Language of Oman - Towards a Descriptive Grammar".
9. Morris, Miranda. (2025). "A descriptive grammar of Bəṭaḥrēt (Baṭḥari)". Harrassowitz Verlag.
10. Morris, Miranda. (2024). "Ethnographic Texts in the Baṭḥari Language of Oman". Harrassowitz Verlag.
11. "MSAL Project Information". [[University of Salford]].
12. Zacharias, Anna. (2019-12-29). "Race is on to preserve an Omani language spoken by 17 people".