Luwati (Al-Lawatia, ar, اللواتية, translit=al-lawātiyya; also known as Khoja, Khojki, Lawatiyya, Lawatiya, or Hyderabadi) is an

Indo-Aryan language The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily concentrated in India, Pa ...

spoken by 5,000 to 10,000 people known as the Lawatiya (also called the Khojas or Hyderabadis) in the country of

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

. In total it has been estimated there are 20,000 to 30,000 Lawatiya people. Despite the various names, the Lawatiya refer to the language as Khojki. It is considered an endangered language because a portion of the Lawatiya do not speak Luwati, and it is not continuously passed down to younger generations.

Geographic distribution and status

The Luwati language is superficially similar to Kutchi, but retains sounds found in other

Sindhi languages The Sindhi languages or Sindhic are Sindhi and those Indo-Aryan languages closest to it. They include some varieties traditionally considered to be Gujarati: Lasi and Sindhi Bhil are sometimes added, but are commonly considered dialects of S ...

and Saraiki but that have been lost from Kutchi. Luwati also bears similarities to other languages such as

Sindhi Sindhi may refer to: *something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan * Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region * Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them People with the name * Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...

, Kachichi,

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, Hindustani and Persian. As with other languages located in Oman, Luwati is influenced by the Omani dialect of Arabic. Originating from the Pakistani province of

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, the Luwati language has had a presence in

for nearly four centuries. The language and people were first mentioned historically by the Omani historian Ibn Ruzayq. The Lawatiya appeared to have settled in Oman in waves of immigration from Sindh between 1780 and 1880 bringing the language with them. A number of historians assign an

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

pedigree to the Luwatis. The Luwati speakers inhabited the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

until their displacement during the 8th century C.E. Others assert that the Luwati speakers originate in Hydrabad. The Luwatis entered

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...

as prosperous merchants and insularized themselves, for the most part, in Sūr al-Luwātiyya in

Muttrah Muttrah, ( ar, مطرح) administratively a wilayah (province), is located in the Muscat Governorate of Oman. Before the discovery of oil in Oman, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of t ...

, preserving their language. Luwati is a minority language found in Oman specifically in the capital of

as well as in the coastal towns of

Saham Saham ( ar, صحم) is a coastal town in the Al Batinah Region, in northeastern Oman. It is located at about and has a population of 85,010 (2003 census). Saham is a fishing and a farming town between Al Khaboura and Sohar. See also * List of c ...

, Barka, Khabura, and Musana. It is spoken by 5,000 to 10,000 people.

Phonology

Luwati phonology is simpler than that of Sindhi, having lost the breathy-voiced consonants and simplified the vowel system. All of the implosives, however, are retained.

Vowels

Consonants

Writing system

Luwati no longer has a writing system and is only a spoken language. Its script was used by

Nizari Ismailis The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

to produce a religious corpus.

References

Languages of Oman Western Indo-Aryan languages Sindhi language {{IndoAryan-lang-stub