ShareThe Kuwaiti dialect is a captivating blend of expressions shaped by centuries of trade, migration and cultural exchange. Foreign loanwords are seamlessly woven into the fabric of Kuwaiti Arabic, creating a linguistic mosaic that reflects the historical connections between Kuwait and the wider world.
Kuwaitis are often fluent in both Kuwaiti Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic, and they may switch between the two in different contexts. Standard Arabic is typically used in formal settings, education and media, while Kuwaiti Arabic is used in everyday conversation. Additionally, the use of colloquial expressions and slang is common, creating a dynamic and vibrant linguistic landscape.
“Due to the popularity of Kuwaiti TV serials for more than six decades, the Kuwaiti dialect is widely understandable in the region, similar to the Egyptian dialect, which is understood throughout the Arab world due to Egypt’s prolific film industry,” Khaled Al-Rashaid, a historian and expert in Kuwaiti dialect, told Kuwait Times.
According to Rashaid, there are six different Kuwaiti subdialects – Awazem, Failakawi, Sharq, Qibla, Qrouya and Bedu. Among these, the Qibla (or Jibla as it is pronounced) dialect is most prevalent in the media, as it is the closest to classical Arabic, while the Failakawi dialect died out when the islanders were relocated from Failaka after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The pronunciation of Kuwaiti Arabic also differs from Standard Arabic, with unique sounds and intonations that give it a distinct musicality. The letter kaf (ك) is pronounced ch (چ), while qaf (ق) is pronounced as jeem (ج) or gayn (غ). There are also differences in pronunciations among the hadhar (urbanites) and the bedu (bedouins). “The hadhar pronounce the letter jeem (ج) as ya (ي), while the bedu don’t,” Rashaid explained.
Migration
There have been three waves of migration to Kuwait, each shaping the language of the land and contributing to the cultural, economic and demographic landscape of the country. The early bedouin migration from Najd in present-day Saudi Arabia laid the cultural foundations of Kuwait, influencing traditional customs, social structures and the overall way of life. The bedouins had a nonmaritime vocabulary, but after settling for decades on the coast, first in Qatar and later in Kuwait, they learned to build ships and sailed as far as India and Serendib (the old Persian name for Ceylon, later Sri Lanka).
Migrants from places like Persia (modern-day Iran), India and East Africa were drawn to Kuwait to participate in pearl diving. This second wave of migration brought a diverse workforce to Kuwait, contributing to the multicultural fabric of the society. The discovery of oil in Kuwait in the mid-20th century marked a transformative period for the country. The oil boom led to rapid economic development, attracting a large influx of foreign workers in a third wave to support the expanding industries and infrastructure projects.
Loanwords
Indian, Persian, English and Turkish influences can be found in Kuwaiti Arabic, adding layers of complexity and diversity to the language. Trade with India added a plethora of Hindi/Urdu words to the lexicon, including chai (tea), pankah (fan), bima (insurance), chula (stove), rang (color), etc. Darwaza (door) from Farsi and geri (back) from Turkish are also common words. Technological advances introduced a large number of English words, from television to computer to mobile.
Words in the Kuwaiti dialect have evolved over time, while others have been forgotten or fallen out of favor. “The name of a noun can change depending on the circumstances and interaction with the object. A car was called trambeel (from automobile) in Kuwait in the olden days. It was later called motor, and now siyarah (from the original Arabic term),” Rashaid pointed out. “A ball used to be called tambakhiya earlier but is now called kurah (the Arabic term),” he added. Also, words like pankah are not familiar to the new generation, as most homes do not have ceiling fans anymore.
Ism (noun), fi’l (verb), and harf (preposition) are fundamental concepts in Arabic grammar, representing different parts of speech and linguistic elements. According to Rashaid, while a noun can change, a verb can never change, though others can be added. Also, there are 14 primary prepositions.
Wordsmith
An accidental linguist, Rashaid has authored nine publications, including encyclopedias and dictionaries. “I have no background in languages. I majored in computer science and worked as a programmer and system analyst. All the books I had – except the Holy Quran – were in English, mostly on computers. Surrounded by Asians and Westerners and conversing mostly in English at the workplace, I realized I had forgotten my native tongue and had difficulty understanding Kuwaiti words spoken by my friends,” he told Kuwait Times.
“So I shifted from creating software to creating dictionaries. Initially, I started compiling words and their meanings on MS Access, going back to the root of each word. I found myself in a deep ocean where I had to swim or sink. After nine years of efforts, my first book was published – an encyclopedia of the Kuwaiti dialect — in 2009. My latest books were published in 2023,” he added.
Even as technology and social media are impacting the Kuwaiti dialect and many “progressive” parents and youth are exclusively speaking English or a mix of Arabic and English, Rashaid is unconcerned, unlike many other linguists. “Let them learn new languages. Eventually as Arabs, they will learn Arabic. Also, new words are added, but the original Arabic words remain unchanged,” he said.
The linguistic landscape is constantly evolving, and with globalization and increased communication, the vocabulary and expressions of Kuwaiti Arabic are changing too. These are signs of a living language, but the changes have to be documented for posterity. However, Rashaid lamented the lack of support from the government to research and preserve the Kuwaiti dialect. “We are left to fend for ourselves,” he rued.
