Luwati language
| Lawati | |
|---|---|
| Lawatiyya | |
| Region | Oman (Muttrah walled quarter, facing the old harbor; Muscat and other cities) |
|
Native speakers
|
5,000 (2012) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | luwa1238 |
The Luwati Language (also known as lawatiyya, lawatiya, hyderabadi, khoja, or khojki) is an Indo-Iranian Language spoken by 5,000 to 10,000 people known as the Lawatiya (also called the Khojas or Hyderabadis) in the country of Oman. In total it has been estimated there are 20,000-30,000 Lawatiya people. Despite the various names, the Lawatiya refer to the language as Khojki. It is considered an endangered language because a portion of the Lawatiya do not speak Luwati and it is not continuously passed down to younger generations.
The Luwati language is superficially similar to Kutchi, but retains sounds found in other Sindhi languages and Saraiki but that have been lost from Kutchi. Luwati also bares similarities with other languages such as Sindhi, Kachichi, Gujarati, Hindustani, and Persian. As with other languages located in Oman, Luwati is influenced by the Omani dialect of Arabic.
Originating from the Pakistani town of Sindh, the Luwati language has had a presence in Oman for nearly four centuries. The language and people were first mentioned historically by the Omani historian Ibn Ruzayq. The Lawatiya appeared to have settled in Oman in waves of immigration from Sindh between 1780 and 1880 bringing the language with them.
Luwati is a minority language found in Oman specifically in the capital of Muscat as well as in the coastal towns of Saham, Barka, Khabura, and Musana. It is spoken by 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Luwati consists of 37 consonants, 10 vowels, and 3 diphthongs. Usually the world-level stress falls on the first syllable however in loan words from Arabic, it retains its original stress position.
Below is a chart of Luwati consonants.
Luwati Consonants
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Wikipedia