On Some Ichthyonyms in the Jibbali/Shehret Dialect of al-Ḥallānīya (Kuria Muria Archipelago) with Dhofari Arabic Equivalents

This paper presents some ichthyonyms (fish names) in the Jibbali/Shehret dialect spoken on the island of al-Ḥallānīya in the Kuria Muria archipelago (Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman), with equivalents in the variety of Dhofari Arabic spoken by the inhabitants of the island. Most of these ichthyonyms correspond to sea creatures that can be found in the waters around the island. The analysis of this lexical material reveals its mixed origin: although most of the tokens analysed are either of Modern South Arabian or Arabic origin, a significant number of the ichthyonyms in question seems to find no parallel in the local languages. This offers an opportunity to look at the wider Indian ocean and its historically prominent trade network as a possible source for these lexical items.