Chapter 1

The first chapter—“Oman, Cornerstone of Arabia”—draws the reader’s attention to the strategic position, both political and historical, of Oman throughout its history. Starting from the most relevant historical and social events that contributed to the development of the linguistic landscape of the Sultanate, the reader is guided through a sociolinguistic analysis of Omani vernaculars. This analysis investigates how specific socio-political circumstances, such as the creation of a new Omani identity after the advent of Sultan Qaboos in the 1970s, partly affected the individual Arabic vernaculars spoken in the northern part of Oman.

The chapter also includes information about bibliographical sources available to date on Omani Arabic, and a detailed description of the methodology used for this study, along with participant and fieldwork site information.