Bahrani Arabic

Bahrani Arabic (also known as Bahrani or Baharna Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by the Baharna in Eastern Arabia and Oman. In Bahrain, the dialect is primarily spoken in Shia villages and some parts of Manama. In Saudi Arabia, the dialect is spoken in the governorate of Qatif. In Oman, it is spoken in the governorates of Al Dhahirah and Al Batinah.

The Bahrani Arabic dialect has been significantly influenced by the ancient Aramaic, Syriac, and Akkadian languages.

In Bahrain, Bahrani is more typical of the mostly-Shia and mostly-rural Baharna, who make up the older population group of Bahrain, and it exists alongside Gulf Arabic, which is mostly spoken by Sunni Arabs, who started arriving in the late 18th century. The Gulf Arabic of the Sunni Arabs, who are concentrated in the cities of Bahrain, and importantly include the royal family, became the prestige language of the country, leading to Baharna Arabic becoming influenced by it.

The Persian language has debatably had the most foreign linguistic influence on all Bahraini dialects. The differences between Bahrani Arabic and other Bahraini dialects suggest differing historical origins. The main differences between Bahrani and non-Bahrani dialects are evident in certain grammatical forms and pronunciation. Most of the vocabulary, however, is shared between dialects, or is distinctly Bahraini, arising from a shared modern history.