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For centuries people here have spoken Maslawi. The language is enriched by the city's long history at the crossroads of civilization.
Much of Mosul's Old City was completely destroyed in the war against ISIS. Thousands of residents were killed and tens of thousands fled. Now many Maslawis fear their dialect may disappear.
One of a dwindling number of people who still speak the dialect, Shahd Walid, says, “Our dialect is unique because it includes a lot from the Arabic language. I mean we are committed to the preservation of phrases from the classical Arabic language. But we have new phrases also because Mosul has been a link between several countries and so we have borrowed many phrases from them and we have developed these phrases. That's what makes our language and that's what distinguishes us from others. When I talk in front of anyone they know that I am from Mosul because of the dialect."
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