A linguist's mission to preserve the nation's dialects

Observer

29-04-2025

Professor Clive Douglas Holes, a renowned linguist, first arrived in Oman in 1973 — a time when Seeb Airport had just opened its doors. Back then, he was working at the British Council in Kuwait and visited Oman on a personal trip after obtaining a no-objection certificate.
His association with Oman deepened over the years. In 1980, 1983, and 1984, he returned on short consultancy visits to advise the Foundation Committee of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), and in 1985, he was appointed Director of the Language Centre at SQU.
Now, decades later, Professor Holes returns as a guest, author, and speaker at the 29th Muscat International Book Fair, where he discussed his lifelong fascination with Arabic dialects, particularly those in northern Oman.
A linguist's mission to preserve the nation's dialects
With a rich career that spans the Arab world — including stints in Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, and Thailand — Professor Holes has always balanced two professional paths: teaching Arabic to English speakers and English to Arabic speakers.
'Eventually, at 34, I decided to pursue Arabic seriously,' he shared. 'I had studied Arabic in my twenties and was frequently posted in Arab countries. But after my PhD, I transitioned into teaching Arabic to English-speaking students. It's all part of the same goal — language teaching. I remember arriving in Bahrain with an Arabic degree from Cambridge, but I couldn't even order a cup of coffee in Arabic everyday. What we learned was too formal for conversation.'
A linguist's mission to preserve the nation's dialects
He acknowledged that language teaching has evolved since then. During his travels around Oman in the 1980s, his academic focus shifted toward Omani dialects — a subject he has since documented extensively through books and research.
'I've always been fascinated by dialects,' said Holes. 'This is the language people actually speak. Classical Arabic is what they write. Dialects rarely get written down, so I started recording them. We had tongues before we had pens.'
According to Professor Holes, spoken language carries its own unique history, often elusive due to a lack of written records. He recalled a pivotal moment during his early research:
'I was in Misfat Al Abriyeen and heard an old man working on a falaj. His dialect sounded exactly like what I had heard from Bahraini farmers two decades earlier. That couldn't be a coincidence. These were shared roots, probably linked to agricultural lifestyles and migratory histories. There are also parallels in southern Yemen, where much of eastern Arabia's population likely originated.'
His upcoming book, The Glossary of Northern Omani Dialects, will be published by Cambridge in both hard copy and as an Open Access edition available free of charge. The 700-page volume will document dialects across 72 locations, complete with quotes, speaker identities, and contextual background.
Professor Clive Douglas Holes on visit at the 29th Muscat International Book Fair
But will these dialects survive in an increasingly globalised world?
'People's lives have changed. Urbanisation and exposure to standardised Arabic through media and education have led to homogenisation,' he explained. 'I was talking to a young Omani recently and mentioned a few words I'd known since the 70s — she didn't recognise them. Those words are still familiar to people in their 50s or 60s. The clock is ticking. When people pass away, their linguistic world views often go with them.'
He emphasised the importance of preserving intangible culture alongside environmental efforts.
'Folk poetry, oral traditions, and everyday speech — these are all part of a nation's soul. Dialects are sound waves, and unless recorded, they vanish. Thankfully, we have the tools to document them, but it requires funding, effort, and time. A national linguistic survey would be an invaluable step forward.'