# Peninsular Arabic

Peninsular Arabic are the varieties of Arabic spoken throughout the Arabian Peninsula. This includes the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Southern Iran, Southern Iraq and Jordan.
The modern dialects spoken in the Arabian Peninsula are closer to Classical Arabic than elsewhere in the Arab world. Some of the local dialects have retained many archaic features lost in other dialects, such as the conservation of nunation for indeterminate nouns. They retain most Classical syntax and vocabulary but still have some differences from Classical Arabic like the other dialects.

## Varieties

Ingham and Holes both note the existence of two peninsular dialect groups:
* A southwestern dialect group that includes most of the dialects of South Arabia, stretching as far north as Al Bahah. Holes generalizes it to a "sedentary" or "peripheral" group that also includes dialects of historically sedentary populations on the Persian Gulf coast, such as Omani Arabic and Bahrani Arabic. These dialects share certain syntactic features with Modern South Arabian languages.
* A central-eastern dialect group originating in the center, that spread with the migration of Arab tribes. This group includes the dialects of most bedouin tribes in the peninsula, spanning an area extending from the Syrian Desert to the Empty Quarter. Its most notable examples are Najdi Arabic and Gulf Arabic.
The following varieties are usually noted:
* Yemeni Arabic, displays a past conjugation with the very archaic -k suffix, as in southern Semitic languages. The dialect of Aden has /ɡʲ/ > [ɡ] as in Cairo.
* Hejazi Arabic, spoken in Saudi Arabia along the coast of the Red Sea, especially in the cities of Mecca and Jeddah. Strictly speaking, there are two distinct dialects spoken in the Hejaz region, one by the Bedouin rural population and another by the urban population in cities such as Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Taif and Yanbu.
* Najdi Arabic, spoken in the center of the peninsula in Saudi Arabia and is characterized by a shift of /q/ to /ɡ/ and affrication of /k/ and /ɡ/ to [ts] and [dz], respectively, in certain contexts.
* Dhofari Arabic, Spoken in Dhofar in southern Arabia, spoken in Yemen, Oman, and the surrounding regions.
* Gulf Arabic (excluding Omani Arabic, Dhofari Arabic and Bahrani Arabic), spoken in the coast of the Persian Gulf.
* Bahrani Arabic, spoken in Bahrain, Eastern Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
The following table compares the Arabic terms between Saudi dialects of urban Hejazi and urban Najdi in addition to the dialect of the Harb tribe with its tribal area (Najdi, urban Hejazi and bedouin Hejazi groups) which shows a correlation and differences between those dialects:
Comparison between a number of dialects in Saudi Arabia :
| Term | Standard Arabic | Urban Hejazi | Ḥarb tribe (Hejazi -Urban groups) | Ḥarb tribe (Hejazi -Bedouin groups) | Ḥarb tribe (Najdi) | Urban Najdi |
| "water" | ماء māʼ | موية mōya | ما mā or موية mōya | ما mā or موية mōya | ما mā or موية mōya | موية mōya |
| "what?" | ماذا māḏā | إيش ʾēš | ويش wēš or وش weš | ويش wēš or وش weš | ويش wēš or وش weš | وش wiš |
| "I want" | أريد ʼurīd | أبغى ʼabḡa or rarely أبى ʼaba | أبى ʼaba | أبي ʼabi | أبي ʼabi | أبي ʼabi |
| "bread" | خُبْز ḵubz | خُبْز ḵubuz or عيش ʿēš | عيش ʿayš | خِبْز ḵibz | خِبْز ḵibz | خِبْز ḵibz |
| "run" | يَرْكُض yarkuḍu or يَجْرِي yajrī | يِجْري yijri | يَجْرِي yajri | يَرْكُض yarkiẓ (يَرْكِظ) | يَرْكُض yarkiẓ (يَرْكِظ) | يَرْكُض yarkiẓ (يَرْكِظ) |
| "now" | الآن alʼān | دحين daḥīn or daḥēn | ذحين daḥīn | هالحين hal-ḥīn | هالحين hal-ḥīn | الحين il-ḥīn |
| "also" | أيْضًا ʾayḍan or كَذَٰلِكَ ka-ḏālika | كمان kamān or برضه barḍu | كمان kamān or برضه barẓu (برظه) | كَذَٰلِكَ ka-ḏālik | كَذَٰلِكَ ka-ḏālik | بَعَد baʿad |
| "coffee" | قَهْوَة qahwa | قَهْوَة gahwa | قْهَوَة ghawa | قْهَوَة ghawa | قْهَوَة ghawa | قْهَوَة ghawa or قَهْوَة gahwa |
| "they said" | قالوا qālū | قالوا gālu | قالوا gālaw | قالوا gālaw | قالوا gālaw | قالوا gālaw or قالوا gālu |
| "cows" | بَقَر baqar | بَقَر bagar | بُقَر bugar | بُقَر bugar | بُقَر bugar | بِقَر bigar |
| "neck" | رَقَبة raqaba | رَقَبة ragaba | رْقُبة rguba | رْقُبة rguba | رْقُبة rguba | رْقَبة rgaba |
| "little" | قَليل qalīl | قَليل galīl | قِليل gilīl | قِليل gilīl | قِليل gilīl | قِليل gilīl |
| "strong" | قَوِيّ qawiyy | قَوي gawi | قُوي guwi | قُوي guwi | قُوي guwi | قُوي guwi |
| "talked to you" | كَلَّمَكَ kallamaka | كَلَّمَك kallamak | كَلَّمْك kallamk | كَلَّمْك kallamk | كَلَّمْك kallamk | كَلَّمْك kallamk |
| "take!" | خُذْ ḵuḏ | خُذْ ḵud (خُد) | خُذْ ḵuḏ | خِذْ ḵiḏ | خِذْ ḵiḏ | خِذْ ḵiḏ |
| "all" | كُلّ kull | كُلّ kull | كُلّ kull | كِل kill | كِل kill | كِل kill |
| "got bigger" | كَبُرَ kabura | كِبِر kibir | كِبِر kibir | كِبَر kibar | كِبَر kibar | كِبَر kibar |
| "he drank" | شَرِب šarib | شِرِب širib | شِرِب širib | شِرَب širab | شِرَب širab | شِرَب širab |
| "I said" | قُلْت qult | قُلْت gult | قُلْت gult | قِلْت gilt | قِلْت gilt | قِلْت gilt |
| "tomb" | قَبْر qabr | قَبُر gabur | قَبُر gabur | قبر gabir | قبر gabir | قبر gabir |
| "palace" | قَصر qaṣr | قَصُر gaṣur | قَصُر gaṣur | قَصِر gaṣir | قَصِر gaṣir | قَصِر gaṣir |
| "poverty" | فَقْر faqr | فَقِر fagir or فَقُر fagur | فَقِر fagir or فَقُر fagur | فَقِر fagir | فَقِر fagir | فَقِر fagir |
| "it dried" | يَبِس yabis | يِبِس yibis | يِبِس yibis | يِبَس yibas | يِبَس yibas | يِبَس yibas |
| "say!" | قُل qul | قول gūl | قول gūl | قِل gil or rarely قول gūl | قِل gil or rarely قول gūl | قِل gil or rarely قول gūl |
| "go!" | اِذْهَب iḏhab | روح rūḥ | روح rūḥ | رح riḥ or rarely روح rūḥ | رح riḥ or rarely روح rūḥ | رح riḥ or rarely روح rūḥ |
| “he found” | لقي laqiya | لقي ligi | لقي ligi | لقى liga | لقى liga | لقى liga |
| “she forgot” | نَسِيَت nasiyat | نِسْيَت nisyat | نست nisat | نست nisat | نست nisat | نست nisat |
| "where?" | أين ʼayn | فين fēn | وين wēn | وين wēn | وين wēn | وين wēn |
| "early morning" | ضُحَى ḍuḥā | ضَحى ḍaḥa | ضَحى ẓaḥa (ظَحى) | ضَحى ẓaḥa (ظَحى) | ضَحى ẓaḥa (ظَحى) | ضَحى ẓaḥa (ظَحى) |
| "we were" | كُنَّا kunnā | كُنَّا kunna | كِنَّا kinna | كِنَّا kinna | كِنَّا kinna | كِنَّا kinna |
| "he inhabited" | سَكَن sakan | سَكَن sakan | سِكَن sikan | سِكَن sikan | سِكَن sikan | سِكَن sikan |
| "he told the truth" | صَدَق ṣadaq | صَدَق ṣadag | صِدَق ṣidag | صِدَق ṣidag | صِدَق ṣidag | صِدَق ṣidag |
| "he knows" | يَعْرِف yaʿrif | يِعْرِف yiʿrif | يْعَرِف yʿarif | يْعَرِف yʿarif | يْعَرِف yʿarif | يْعَرِف yʿarif |
| "he wrote" | كَتَبَ katab | كَتَب katab | كِتَب kitab | كِتَب kitab | كِتَب kitab | كِتَب kitab |
| "he enters" | يَدْخُل yadḵul | يِدْخُل yidḵul | يَدْخُل yadḵul | يَدْخِل yadḵil | يَدْخِل yadḵil | يَدْخِل yadḵil |
| "he writes" | يَكْتُبُ yaktub | يِكْتُب yiktub | يَكْتِب yaktub | يَكْتِب yaktib or يْكَتِب ykatib | يَكْتِب yaktib or يْكَتِب ykatib | يَكْتِب yaktib or يْكَتِب ykatib |
| "she sits" | تَقْعُد taqʿud | تِقْعُد tigʿud | تَقْعُد tagʿud | تَقْعِد tagʿid | تَقْعِد tagʿid | تَقْعِد tagʿid |
| "he woke up" | صَحِيَ ṣaḥiya or صحا ṣaḥā | صِحِي ṣiḥi | صَحَا ṣaḥa | صَحَا ṣaḥa | صَحَا ṣaḥa | صَحَا ṣaḥa |
| "dig" | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | اَحْفُر aḥfur | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir | اِحْفِرْ iḥfir |
| "leave!" | خَلِّ ḵalli | خَلِّي ḵalli | خل ḵall | خل ḵall | خل ḵall | خل ḵall |
| "big" | كَبير kabīr | كَبير kabīr | كِبير kibīr | كِبير kibīr | كِبير kibīr | كِبير kibīr |
| "truth" | حَقيقة ḥaqīqa | حَقيقة ḥagīga | حِقيقة ḥigīga | حِقيقة ḥigīga | حِقيقة ḥigīga | حِقيقة ḥigīga |
| "we" | نَحْن naḥnu | احنا iḥna or نحنا niḥna | حنا ḥinna | حنا ḥinna | حنا ḥinna | حنا ḥinna |
| "them" | هُم hum | َّهُم humma | هُم hum | هُم hum | هُم hum | هُم hum |
| "this" | هذا hāḏā | هذا hāda (هدا) | هذا hāḏa | هذا hāḏa | هذا hāḏa | هذا hāḏa |
| "we count" | نَحْسِبُ naḥsibu | نِحْسِب niḥsib | نْحَسِب nḥasib | نْحَسِب nḥasib | نْحَسِب nḥasib | نْحَسِب nḥasib or نِحْسِب niḥsib |
| "piece of wood" | خَشَبَة ḵašaba | خَشَبَة ḵašaba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba | خْشِبَة ḵšiba or خَشَبَة ḵašaba |
| "camel" | جَمَل jamal | جَمَل jamal | جِمَل jimal | جِمَل jimal | جِمَل jimal | جِمَل jimal or جَمَل jamal |
| "like" | مِثْل miṯl or كما kama | زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or كما kima or زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or كما kima or زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or زَي zay | مِثْل miṯl or زَي zay |
| "he" | هُوَ huwa | هُوَّ huwwa | هو hū or huw or huwah or اهو ihwa | هو hū or huw | هو hū or huw | هو hū or huw |