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| Lisaan o Da'wat il-Bohra | |
|---|---|
| Lisan al-Dawat | |
| لسان دعوۃ البهرة | |
 "Lisaan o Da'wat il Bohra" in the Arabic script | |
| Region | Western India, Gujarat |
| Arabic script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
Lisaan ud-Da'wat or Lisaan o Da'wat il Bohra or Lisan ud-Dawat (Arabic: لسان الدعوة, lit. 'language of the Da'wat', da'wat ni zabaan; abbreviated LDB) is the language of the Dawoodi Bohras and Alavi Bohras, two Isma'ili Shi'a Muslim communities primarily in Gujarat, following the Taiyebi doctrines and theology.[2] The language is based on a Neo-Indo-Aryan language, Gujarati, but incorporates a heavy amount of Arabic, Urdu, and Persian vocabulary and is written in the Arabic script naskh style.[3][4] Originally a ritual language, since the period of the missionaries (دعاۃ) in Ahmedabad around 1005 AH/1597 AD it has also been propagated as the vernacular language for members of the Bohra communities, but the version used by their religious leader-Saiyedna[5] and his assembly members or clergy still differs slightly from the Gujarati spoken by their community members.[6] The reason is that the religious sermons is highly loaded and peppered with the inputs and sentences of Arabic language having direct references with ancient sectarian Bohra literature linked with Egyptian and Yemeni phase of Da'wah.[7] The earliest Bohras were Indian, and they spoke Gujarati. With the continuous effort of the Taiyebi leadership (of Yemen and their representatives in India) to promote Qur'anic and Islamic learning within the community, the language of these texts has, over time, percolated Lisaan ul-Da'wat, with Arabic (and Persian) words replacing part of the Gujarati lexicon.[8]
Some key works in Lisan al-Dawat are the translations of the Arabic literary masterpieces of Isma'ili literature written during the reign of the Fatimids in Persia and Egypt (225-525 AH/840-1131 AD) and also the Taiyebi[2] literature written in Yemen by 24 different missionaries (pl. du'aat) between 532-974 AH/1137-1566 AD, with summaries and admonitions in poetic form too. The Da'i-missionary (working under the guidance of Imam) was also expected to be sufficiently familiar with the teachings of different religions as well as various Islamic traditions, whilst knowing the local language and customs of the province in which he was to operate.[3] This is the reason that the Bohra leadership of Ahmedabad phase (946-1070 AH/1540-1660) made notable efforts to amalgamate Yemeni Arabic lexicon with the local language. The influx of the Persian words during this time is due to the Mughals ruling the major parts of Gujarat. During the course of time this unique language became an identity for Bohras. Arabic tradition of religious writings continued in India and some works composed recently in Lisan al-Dawat is highly Arabicized as they are either translations or adaptations of earlier works and intended for popular use.[9]
Many in the community look upon their language Lisan al-Dawat as a bridge to keep united irrespective of their region, occupation and education. Also it serves as a unique tool to distinguish themselves from other Gujarati communities who rather speak the same Gujarati but devoid of Arabic accent and vocabulary. In more recent times (i.e. since the beginning of 14th century AH), some of these works have appeared in a form of Arabicized Gujarati written in Arabic script, the official language of the Bohra Da'wah, so as to reach a wider public.[3] In South Asia, the official language of the Sulaymani Bohras is Urdu, the language commonly used by the majority of the Muslims of India and Pakistan. They also deliver their sermons in Urdu.[3]
Alphabet
Vowel diacritics
Though not normally written and only implied,[10] like Urdu, Lisan ud-Dawat also has diacritics taken from the Arabic language[11] to express short vowels.[12]
| Symbol | Name | Usage | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ٰ | Khari Zabar | a | Used in Arabic loanwords such as ‘عیسیٰ’ (‘Jesus’) | |
| َ | Zabar | a | ||
| ً | Zabar Tanwīn | -an | Used for Arabic loanwords such as ‘فوراً’ (‘Immediately’) | |
| ٓ | Maddah | ā | Used only for Alif Maddah (ا + ٓ = آ), not written as a separate diacritic | |
| ِ | Zer | i | Written underneath a letter | |
| ٍ | Zer Tanwīn | in | Rarely used for Arabic loanwords, written underneath a letter | |
| ُ | Pesh | u | ||
| ٔ | Hamza | varied | - | Used on vowels to indicate a diphthong between two vowels, examples such as: ‘ئ’, ‘ۓ’, ‘ؤ‘, and أ , not written as a separate diacritic |
| ّ | Tashdīd | Geminite | Doubles a consonant, goes above the letter being doubled - کّ = kk |
