Kuwaiti Persian

Kuwaiti Persian, known in Kuwait as ʿīmi (sometimes spelled Eimi) is a combination of different varieties of the Persian language and Achomi language that is native to Kuwait. Persian has been spoken in Kuwait for centuries, especially in the Sharq district of the historical Kuwait City, where families from Iran had settled. In 2009, it was estimated that 70-89% of Kuwaiti Ajam aged 23-39 and 40-70 spoke Persian fluently as their first language; whereas only 28% of Kuwaiti Ajam aged 12-22 spoke Persian. Cultural, political, and economic marginalization creates a strong incentive for Kuwaiti Ajam to abandon their language in favor of Arabic which is widely perceived as a more prestigious language. UNESCO recognise Kuwaiti Persian as an endangered language.
History
Iranians have been living in Kuwait for centuries. Iranian ports provided most of pre-oil Kuwait's economic needs. Marafi Behbahani was one of the first Iranian merchants to settle in Kuwait in the 18th century. Kuwaitis of Iranian descent are called Ajam. The vast majority of Shia Kuwaiti citizens are of Iranian descent. However, some Kuwaitis of Iranian descent are Sunni Muslims - such as the Al-Kandari and Awadhi families of Larestani ancestry. Some Kuwaitis of Iranian Balochi descent are Sunni. Balochi families first immigrated to Kuwait in the 19th century. Historically, the term Ajam included both Sunni and Shia in Kuwait. Nowadays in modern-day Kuwait, the term Ajam usually refers to Shia only; which is partly due to sectarian sensitivities following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Most Ajam (both Sunni and Shia) resided in the Sharq historical district in the old Kuwait City, thereby forming a linguistic enclave which preserved the language for generations. They communicated in Persian between each other, and did not frequently mingle with Arabic speakers who resided in other districts. The discovery of petroleum oil in 1937 resulted in the industrialization of the formerly residential areas, which scattered people who lived there into the suburbs. The linguistic enclave was not present any longer therefore the Ajam had to learn Kuwaiti Arabic to survive in the new environment.
The Persian emigrants spoke a variety of dialects and sub-dialects. This mixture came to be called ʿīmi ([language] of the Ajam), over generations, the variety of Persian spoken today by Ajam developed. As most Ajam acquired Kuwaiti Arabic by time, Kuwaiti Persian is expected to be gone within at least two generations. Older Ajam people who still speak Persian are bilingual in both Kuwaiti Arabic and Persian, while most younger Ajam nowadays are native speakers of Kuwaiti Arabic only.
The majority of Kuwaitis from Failaka Island are of Iranian ancestry. They originally migrated to Failaka from the Iranian coast, mainly Kharg Island and Bandar Lengeh. These people are commonly known as the Huwala in the GCC states. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak Arabic fluently, although prior to the discovery of oil they also spoke Persian fluently. The most important Huwala settlement in Failaka Island pertained to 40 families who migrated from the Iranian island Kharg to Failaka in the years 1841-1842. The most recent settlement occurred in the early 1930s after the imposition of the unveiling law by Reza Shah. A minority of Failaka Island's Kuwaiti families are Shia Persians, they were noted as having their own hussainiyas and the older generations were frequent Arabic speakers, unlike the Kuwaiti Shia of Persian descent in mainland Kuwait City at the time.
Linguistics
ʿīmi has no official status and it is not standardised. As a koiné language, ʿīmi is often seen as a "childish" patois by the public.
Below is a table the compares some words in Kuwaiti and Standard Persian, as collected by Batoul Hasan. Some changes seen in Kuwaiti Persian are also common in other non-standard Persian dialects in Iran as well.
Discrimination
The anti-preservation attitude of the Kuwaiti government towards the Persian language will eventually lead to the disappearance of the language in the Kuwaiti society, as Abdulmuhsen Dashti projects. The government of Kuwait tries to delegitimise the use of the language in as many domains as possible.
The Persian language has been considered a significant threat to the dominant Sunni Arab population. In 2012, MP Muhammad Hassan al-Kandari called for a "firm legal action" against an advertisement for teaching the Persian language in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti television series Karimo received criticism for showing Kuwaiti actors speaking fluent Persian; with some racist politicians claiming it was a dictated enforcement of "Iranian culture" on the Kuwaiti society.
In 2009, it was estimated that 70-89% of Kuwaiti Ajam aged 23-39 and 40-70 spoke Persian fluently as their first language; whereas only 28% of Kuwaiti Ajam aged 12-22 spoke Persian. Cultural, political, and economic marginalization creates a strong incentive for Kuwaiti Ajam to abandon their language in favor of Arabic which is widely perceived as a more prestigious language. This happens because Kuwaiti Ajam families want to achieve a higher social status, have a better chance to get employment and/or acceptance in a given social network so they adopt the cultural and linguistic traits of socially dominant groups with enough power imbalance to culturally integrate them, through various means of ingroup and outgroup coercion. The generation of young Kuwaiti Ajam born between 1983 and 1993 are reported to have a minimal proficiency in their language unlike the older generations of Kuwaiti Ajam. In contrast to Bahrain where most Bahraini citizens of Iranian descent still speak Persian fluently on a daily basis even the young generations. Since the 1990s, many Kuwaiti Ajam parents have reported an unwillingness to pass the Persian language on to their children, as it will hurdle their integration into the dominant culture. Kuwait is one of the most xenophobic countries in the world. The Ajam feel pressure to abandon ties that could be interpreted as showing belonging to Iran, as Persian is synonymous with Iranian for a lot of Kuwaitis, and the Persian language is actually called Iranian in Kuwaiti Arabic. In several interviews conducted by PhD student Batoul Hasan, Ajam youth have shown hesitation to use or learn Persian due to stigmatisation and prejudice in Kuwait.
UNESCO recognise Kuwaiti Persian as an endangered language.
Education
Persian is taught in several institutes across Kuwait, including academic institutes, such as Kuwait University, diplomatic cultural institutes, such as the Iranian Embassy cultural office, language institutes, such as Berlitz, and religious institutes, such as Al-Imam Al-Mujtaba seminaries.
In the highly educated elite circle, Persian is seen as a language with high cultural value. According to an Iranian cultural advisor to Kuwait, Khameyar said that a lot of Kuwaitis speak Persian proudly. He also added that many state officials carry conversations in Persian; including non-Ajam Kuwaitis who speak and answer in Persian with embassy officials. Khameyar also expressed his surprise from the reception their Persian language courses had received.
Further reading
The Persian Dialects of the Ajam in Kuwait
Dénes Gazsi - The University of Iowa - The Persian Dialects of the ʿAjam in Kuwait
The Persian Dialects of the Ajam in Kuwait
Ideology, identity, and linguistic capital: a sociolinguistic investigation of language shift among the Ajam of Kuwait. Batoul Hasan. 2009. The University of Essex.
See also
'Ajam of Kuwait: Kuwaitis of Iranian ancestry.
Kuwaiti Arabic: The variety of Arabic spoken by Kuwaitis (including Ajam). It had a lot of influence on Kuwaiti Persian (and vice versa).
Tarakma: Also called Lamerd, from where many Ajam have emigrated.
Notes
References
Languages of Kuwait
Persian dialects and varieties
Endangered Indo-European languages
Society of Kuwait
History of Kuwait