Kumzari

Kumzari (also known as Kumzāri, Komzāri, Komzari, Kamzáree, and شاریَْکُ ,شاريَْک), is a Southwestern Iranian language, spoken in Iran, Oman, and United Arab Emirates.^[1] Although there are conflicting numbers, Kumzari is believed to have about 4,000 native speakers; however, among those estimated 4,000 speakers are an additional 200 "latent" individuals that speak Kumzari as a second language. ^[2]

The Kumzari language is a blend of Arabic, Farsi, and Portuguese. Kumzar, the village name in which the language is mostly spoken, is a compound of two arabic words: kam, "how much" and zar, "visitors." Kumzar was frequently visited by foreigners passing through the Strait of Hormuz, as it was a fresh water stop, and the reason why it became a melting pot for the different languages.^[3]

The Kumzari language was identified by Atmaram Jayakar in the early 1900s, and linguists are still working to document and comprehend the language. All of the Kumzari consonants can be found word initially, and there are eight contrastive vowels.^[4]

Bibliography

Al Jahdhami, S. (2016). Kumzari: The Forgotten Language. International Journal of Linguistics, 8(4), 27-34.
Anonby, E. J. (2011). Kumzari. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 41(03), 375-380. doi:10.1017/s0025100311000314

Anonby, E. J., & Yousefian, P. (2011). Adaptive multilinguals: a survey of language on Larak Island. Uppsala: Uppsala Universitet.
Battenburg, J. (2015). The Kumzari language community: Evaluating language vitality and endangerment.
Battenburg, J. (2013). The status of Kumzari and its speakers: A local language of the Musandam Peninsula of Oman. Language Problems and Language Planning, 37(1), 18-30.

Jayakar, Atmaram S. G. 1902. The Shahee dialect of Arabic. Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 21, 246–277.
Lewis, P. (ed.). 2011. Ethnologue: Languages of the world, 16th edn. Dallas, TX: SIL International. [http://www.ethnologue.com]
Ozihel, H. (2011). Kumzari language: Iranian languages, Musandam Governorate, Arabian Peninsula.

Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. 1989. Languages of southeast Iran: La ̄resta ̄n ̄ı, Kumza ̄r ̄ı, Basˇkard ̄ı. In Rüdiger Schmitt (ed.), Compendium linguarum iranicarum, 363–369. Wiesbaden: Ludwig Reichart.
Times News Service(Times News, S. (2012, April 22). Express yourself: The Kumzari language needs to be preserved. Times of Oman (Muscat, Oman).
Thomas, B. 1930. The Kumzari dialect of the Shihuh tribe, Arabia, and a vocabulary. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 62, 785-854.

Topping, C. (2011, February 1). Kumar's Last Stand. Esquire, 104-111.

References

^ "Did you know Kumzari is vulnerable?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
^ "Did you know Kumzari is vulnerable?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
^ Topping, C. (2011, February 1). Kumar's Last Stand. Esquire, 104-111.
^ Anonby, Erik John (2011-12-01). "Kumzari". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 41 (3): 375–380. doi:10.1017/S0025100311000314. ISSN 1475-3502.

[1] "Did you know Kumzari is vulnerable?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-03-10.

[2] "Did you know Kumzari is vulnerable?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-03-10.

[3] Topping, C. (2011, February 1). Kumar's Last Stand. Esquire, 104-111.

[4] Anonby, Erik John (2011-12-01). "Kumzari". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 41 (3): 375–380. doi:10.1017/S0025100311000314. ISSN 1475-3502.

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