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Index / Languages
  Bahrain /
Languages
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Languages
Figures in 1000. |
Arabic
|
480 |
66.0% |
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Baharna
|
370 |
51.0% |
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Gulf
|
110 |
15.0% |
Persian
|
60 |
8.5% |
Urdu
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35 |
4.9% |
Malayalam
|
30 |
4.1% |
Kerenici
|
30 |
4.1% |
Togalog
|
27 |
3.7% |
English
|
15 |
2.1% |
Tamil
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15 |
2.1% |
Telugu
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15 |
2.1% |
Korean
|
2 |
0.3% |
Other
|
20 |
2.8% |
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Arabic is the dominating language of Bahrain, with the indigenous Baharna dialect used all in all by half the population. Gulf Arabic is the dialect which dominates in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Persian is still actively used in Bahrain, by Persian immigrants with long history on the islands.
Foreign language is English, which to a large degree also is the primary business language.
The variety of other languages have no importance on Bahraini social life and culture, except involving a society in which several ethnic groups form parallell societies. But as immigrants have no chance of obtaining citizenship, these groups and their languages represent no permanent changes to the language structure of Bahrain.
© Copyright 1996-2009 LookLex Ltd. All rights reserved
By: Tore Kjeilen
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