Also Known As:
Kumzāri, Komzāri, Komzari, Kamzáree, شاریَْکُ , شاريَْکُ
Dialects & Varieties
- Musandam
- Laraki
Adaptive multilinguals: A survey of language on Larak Island
Erik Anonby and Pakzad Yousefian. 2011. "Adaptive Multilinguals: A Survey of Language On Larak Island." Uppsala Universitet.
Vulnerable
80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~4,000
Native Speakers Worldwide
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 2
Used in some non-official domains along with other languages, and remains the primary language used in the home for many community members.
2
Transmission
Transmission -1
All members of the community, including children, speak the language.
-1
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
~200
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Location and Context
Countries
UAE; Oman; Iran;
Location Description
"Kumzari is spoken on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. There are two main groups of speakers, one on each side of the Strait: the Kumzari of Musandam Peninsula in north-eastern Arabia, and the Laraki of Larak Island in Iran. [On the Musandam peninsula], the Kumzar population is concentrated in Oman, in the village of Kumzar and in a quarter of Khasab known as the Harat al-Kumzari."
Government Support
No results found.
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
Mixed
Other Languages Used By The Community
Arabic, Farsi, Qeshmi, Bandari
Number of Other Language Speakers:
Most
Domains of Other Languages:
Religious services, counting, media, school, trade
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
No results found.
Recent Resources
This webpage is a brief overview of the Kumzari people, where it also provides information about the
A detailed website about Oman and Kumzar.
Here is a map of the region where the Kumzari Speakers residing in Oman live.
many people are proud of it, but others question its usefulness in the wider Arabic-speaking context... Multilingualism is the norm on Larak Island. Most members of the population sample for the individual questionnaire are proficient to some degree in at least four language varieties: Laraki, Farsi, Arabic, and Qeshmi or another regional variety such as Bandari."