Shihhi Arabic
Shihhi Arabic is a dialect of Arabic primarily used in the Musandam Governorate of Oman and Ras [Al Khaimah] emirate of the United Arab Emirates. It has been suggested that Shihhi Arabic has two main dialect groups, known as "inland" and "coastal". The Shihuh, Habus, Al Dhuhoori and Al Shemaili tribes have traditionally used the dialect.
Phonology
Consonants
- Sounds /,, / are exclusively heard in loan-words.
- // may be heard as a voiced glottal when before voiced consonants.
- The retroflex // may have four different allophones; as a flap when in intervocalic positions, as an alveolar when before front vowels, or as an alveolar tap or trill when in word-medial position following a consonant.
- In some dialects *ġ has been replaced by a pharyngealized glottal stop .
Vowels
- Short sounds /, / when in unstressed positions are heard as a mid-central .
| Phoneme/Sound | Allophones | Notes |
| /i/ | when in closed syllables | |
| /a/ | as the standard relisation, when in neutral environments or open syllables | |
| /a/ | in closed syllables | |
| /a/ | when occurring after a pharyngeal or glottal consonant | |
| /a/ | when within the vicinity of the velarized or pharyngealized, or uvular consonants | |
| /o/ | , | in free variation |
| /u/ | in free variation | |
| /u/ | when preceded by a pharyngeal or velarized consonant | |
| /iː/ | when preceded by /q/ | |
| /iː/ | offglide, when followed by a velarized/pharyngealized consonant | |
| /iː/ | onglide, when preceded by a velarized/pharyngealized consonant | |
| /eː/ | when preceded by /q/ | |
| /eː/ | when preceded by /b/ | |
| /eː/ | when preceding or following /j/ | |
| /eː/ | offglide, when followed by a velarized/pharyngealized consonant | |
| /eː/ | onglide, when preceded by a velarized/pharyngealized consonant | |
| /aː/ | when in neutral environments or open syllables | |
| /aː/ | when after a glottal stop /ʔ/ | |
| /aː/ | within the position of a velarized/pharyngealized consonant or /ɻ/ consonant | |
| /oː/ | as the standard realization | |
| /oː/ | when preceded be a labial, alveolar, or palatal consonant | |
| /oː/ | when preceded by /ɻ/ | |
| /uː/ | in free variation | |
| /uː/ | within the position of a velarized/pharyngealized consonant |