Editing Oman (section)

=== Languages ===
[[File:Sultan_Qaboos_Highway.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Arabic and English road sign in Oman]]
[[Arabic]] is the official and most widely spoken language of Oman. It belongs to the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] branch of the [[Afroasiatic languages|Afroasiatic]] family.<ref name=molabs>{{cite web|title=Basic Statute of the State|url=http://mola.gov.om/basic_statute.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626055226/http://mola.gov.om/basic_statute.pdf|archive-date=26 June 2012|publisher=Ministry Of Legal Affairs}}</ref> There are several [[dialects of Arabic]] spoken, all part of the [[Peninsular Arabic]] family: [[Dhofari Arabic]] (also known as Dhofari, Zofari) is spoken in [[Salalah]] and the surrounding coastal regions (the [[Dhofar Governorate]]);{{Infobox language/ref|e18|lc1=ell|ld1=Dhofari Arabic|refname=}} [[Gulf Arabic]] is spoken in parts bordering the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]]; whereas [[Omani Arabic]], distinct from the Gulf Arabic of eastern Arabia and Bahrain, is spoken in Central Oman, although with recent oil wealth and mobility has spread over other parts of the Sultanate.

According to the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), the main languages spoken in Oman besides Arabic are English, [[Malayalam]], [[Balochi language|Baluchi]] (Southern Baluchi), [[Urdu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Hindi]], [[Tulu language|Tulu]] and various other Indian languages, due to the influx of Pakistani migrants and foreign workers. <ref name="pop"/> English is widely spoken in the business community and is taught at school from an early age. Almost all signs and writings appear in both Arabic and English at tourist sites.<ref name="englishplacenames"/> [[Balochi language|Baluchi]] is still sometimes spoken among Omanis of Balochi descent, although this has decreased in recent years. It is also used by some descendants of [[Sindhi people|Sindhi]] sailors.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Sound System of Lawatiyya|url=http://www.jourlib.org/paper/2843775|journal=Journal of Academic and Applied Studies|volume=2|issue=5|author=Salman, Amel|author2=Kharusi, Nafla S.|pages=36–44|date=May 2012|access-date=10 February 2015|archive-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630023244/http://www.jourlib.org/paper/2843775|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, [[Swahili language|Swahili]] is sometimes spoken among Omanis of [[Zanzibar|Zanzibari]] descent.<ref name="etn.sagepub.com"/>

Today, the [[Mehri language]] is limited in its distribution to the area around [[Salalah]], in [[Zafar, Yemen|Zafar]] and westward into the Yemen. But until the 18th or 19th century it was spoken further north, perhaps into Central Oman.<ref>[[Paul Alan Yule|Paul Yule]], Late Pre-Islamic Oman: The Inner Evidence – The Outside View, in: M. Hoffmann-Ruf–A. al-Salami (eds.), ''Studies on Ibadism and Oman, Oman and Overseas'', vol. 2, Hildesheim, 2013, 13–33, {{ISBN|9783487147987}}</ref> [[Baluchi language|Baluchi]] ([[Southern Baluchi language|Southern Baluchi]]) is widely spoken in Oman.<ref>{{cite news|title=Basic Information on Oman|url=http://www.omannews.gov.om/ona/english/Basic_Information_on_Oman.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205155257/http://www.omannews.gov.om/ona/english/Basic_Information_on_Oman.jsp|archive-date=5 December 2013|agency=Oman News Agency|access-date=19 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Endangered indigenous languages in Oman include [[Kumzari language|Kumzari]], [[Bathari language|Bathari]], [[Harsusi language|Harsusi]], [[Hobyot language|Hobyot]], [[Jibbali language|Jibbali]] and [[Mehri language|Mehri]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/index.php|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=19 January 2013|archive-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812000456/http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/index.php|url-status=live}}<br />Khojki and Zidjali were also reported, but [[Khojki]] is an alphabet, not a language, and Zidjali AKA Makrani is a dialect of Southern Baluchi</ref> [[Omani Sign Language]] is the language of the deaf community.