“BECAUSE I SPEAK JIBBALI …”: A CASE STUDY OF THE USE OF MINORITY LANGUAGES IN DHOFARI EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the linguistic diversity present in the Dhofar region located in southern Oman is reflected in educational settings for the purpose of creating inclusive teaching and learning practices. The goal of such practices is to enhance educational experiences of students. The paper specifically focuses on the use of Jibbali, an endangered indigenous South Arabian language as one of the minority languages spoken in Dhofar. The study aims to answer the question of the level of multilingualism in the Dhofar region, and whether such multilingualism is reflected in the educational settings. The methodology of case study is adopted where 5 multilingual female university students enrolled in a private university in Dhofar recorded two hours of their daily interactions both on and off campus, and a follow-up semi-structured interview was conducted with two of the participants. The results of the study show that participants draw heavily on their rich linguistic repertoires in their daily interactions; however, the current educational practices fall short of reflecting that reality. The results also show that participants are aware of the disparity between the level of multilingualism and the educational practices in the region. The major conclusion of the study is that shared indigenous language(s) primarily tag the context of the interaction as informal and intimate. A major implication of the study is that in addition to English, as a medium instruction, and Modern Standard Arabic, as the official language of the state, space should be given to the use of indigenous languages in educational settings. These settings can make a significant contribution by changing attitudes through creating awareness of the value of local languages, by serving as a forum for training, educating speakers of those languages on the maintenance and revitalization of those endangered languages, and by creating an educational space that allows for the use of minority languages, as a step towards achieving a more equitable, safe and inclusive learning environment.