Transcript Slide 1

An
Overview of Somali
Language
Guud Mar
Af Soomali:
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Af iyo Somaali
Fac weynida afka
Abla-ablaynta afka
Astaamaha Afka
Suugaanta Oraaheed ee afka
Qoraalka afka
Waayaha afku hadda ku suganyahay
Kaalinta dhallinyarada ee badbaadinta afka
Classification and
characteristics:(Abla-ablaynta iyo astaamaha
o
 Spoken in: Somalia and Eastern part of
Ethiopia,Parts of Rep. of Jabouti and N.E kenya
 Region: East Africa
 Total speakers: 15-25 million
 Ranking: not in top 100
 Genetic Classification: Hamito-semitic (AfroAsian) Cushitic Eastern Cushitic Somali
Language Map
…Characteristics:
 Closely related to Oromo, Afar and Saho
languages
 Distantly related to Arabic and other Semitic
languages
 Heavily influenced by Arabic because of
historically and Islamic ties.
 Official Status: official language of
Somalia and Eastern Ethiopia Somali zone
 Language Codes:
ISO 639-1 SO
ISO 639-2 Som
Historical Background:
(Musduleedka Taariikheed)
o 2.Historically Somali is an ancient language:
 As one of the hamito-semitic bridging between
African and Asian language(Afro-Asiatic)
 One of the surviving Hamitic languages to which
semitic languages are related and were in use
about 3000 B.C
 Quotation from a book book:
Historical ….:
…..There must have been a hamito-semitic
language which was the common ancestor of all
Semitic and Hamitic languages. The language of
ancient Egypt belonged to the Hamitic
group….Surviving Hamitic groups are spoken
across a large part of North Africa, and include
Somali and the many dialects of Berber.
 Referred in the book:
Barber, Charles: Cambridge univ. press 1993
 Somali was found to have relations with
ancient Egyptian Heliographic scripts.
Da’ weynida Af-Soomaaliga
Da' weynida Af
Soomaaliga waxaa laga
gartaa abtirsigiisa uu ka
mid yahay afafaka
Hemito-semitic(afroAsian) oo ah kuwa fac
weyn, uuna ka siiyahay
afafka Kushatic
kuwooda kushatiga bari
oo la bah wadaagsadoo
kuwa Oromo, Cafar,
Saho.
Waxaala sheegay in
afafka Hemito- Semitigu
lahaan karayeen Af sal u
ah oo ay labada
laamoodba ka
abuurmeen, waxa loo
dhowaynayaa in afkaasu
u dhowaa inuu xamatig
ahaa laguna hadli jirey
3000 sano dhalshadii
Nebi Ciise ka hor.......
….Characteristics:
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Somali is a gender language
Somali is an agglutinative language
Could be a four color language
Somali is phonetic language
Somali Oral Literature:
(Suugaanta oraaheed)
 Somali language remained to be unwritten oral language
hence, accumulated a rich oral literature.
o 3. Somali oral literature: Preserved all forms of literature,
the culture, history and language itself
 Oration and art of word is highly valued, hence the
terms of Af-tahan, Af-maal, Af-garooc, Af-miishar….
 Rich in proverbs, sayings, anecdotes, figurative, puzzles,
folktales and animal fables in storytelling,
 Various work chants, children’s verses, numerous poetry
genres
Kaalinta Sugaanta ee
Dhaqanka
• Poetry plays central role in Somali life and
thought
• Many of day-to-day task which people have
poetry associated with them in one form or
another
• Without the twin inspiration of their faith and
verse, Somali’s would waste themselves in
desperation
• The poetic creativity and the lyric verse are
survival mechanism
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Somali Poetry:
(Maansada
Soomaaliyeed)
Is the medium whereby an individual or a group can
present a case most persuasively.
Functions are versatile, concerned not only with matters
of art and creativity but also with questions of social
significance.
Is a public forum and a principal medium of mass
communication and a repository of knowledge about the
past.
It illuminates culture, society and history
Is a monopolistic craft, relatively small number of people
is endowed with the talent to compose high quality
verse- as artistic geniuses are hardly in abundance.
Contributed the most to the structure of other forms of
modern Somali poetry and to the development of other
cultural expressions like the theater.
The poets who practice classical
poetry
(Kaalinta
Maansayahanka)
• Comment on public affairs of their immediate community, their
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nation and the whole world.
Compose verse on all-important events to express and formalize
in verse the dominant issues of the age.
Influence the course of events by modeling public opinion and
stirring their listeners to action.
Often act as spokesmen for clans, territorial groups, presenting
their views in poetic form using praise, flattery, censure, derision
or even downright verbal abuse as the occasion demands.
Incite people to war or counsel peace.
Compose to give the expression to inform, educate, persuade,
and convince others and to express to their private inspirations.
Look after their own prestige very carefully but by custom are
allowed to boast about themselves and about their properties.
Have a privileged status and occupy a prominent place in
society.
Somalis are often described as
“nation of bards”
• In 1854, The English explorer Richard Burton
traveled through Somali territory in the horn of
Africa. He commented about Somali poetic
traditions
• The country teems with “poets, poetasters,
poetitos, poetaccios”: every man has his
recognized position in literature as accurately
defined as though he had been reviewed in a
century of magazines- the fine ear of this people
causing them to take the greatest pleasure in
harmonious sounds and poetical expressions,
whereas a false quantity prosaic phrase excite
their violent indignation.
Nature and genres:
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Somali poetry is alliterative; in each line there should be one or two, depending
on the length of the line, words beginning with same consonant or with a vowel,
all vowels alliterate with each other.
There are many poetic genres: Gabay, Geerar,Guurow and Jiifto are the
classical verse.
Other genres may include: Wiglo, hirwo, Dhaanto and balwo described by John
Johnson as Miniature genres. Buraanbur, Giish, hees dhallaan (lalebey) Saar,
maanyo, chants of many of work songs, animal songs, Children’s and dance
songs.
Each genre of poetry has its own particular metrical template.
Metre is vocalically quantitative defined in terms of the number and patterning of
long and short vowels.
Scansion Patterns depend on the lengeth of the syllables, with short syllables
treated as having one time unit and long ones as having two.
Length of syllables is determined by the length of its vowel or diphthong.
The gabay and guurow lines are 18-20 vowel units long.
Anigoo dukaan lay dhigoo, dhab u cashaynaaya
1 1 2
1 2
1
1 2
1 1 1 1
2 1= 18
Baan soo dhaqaaqoo ma helin, dhuunigaan rabeye
2
2
1 2 2
1 11
2 1 2
1 1 1
Qoraalka Afka
• Heerar Taariihkeed ayaa qoraalka Afku so
maray.
• Summadda xarfaha Laatiinku waxay rasmi
ahaan hirgashay Oktoobar 21,1972.
• Waxa lagu hirgeliyey tallaabooyin kala
danbayey:
-Taaxanihii hawlihii guddigii Af Soomaaliga
-Ololihii magaalooyinka+imtixaankii shaqaalaha
-O.H.R.M + Billadii ahkris-qorista/literacy ee
caalamiga ahayd
-Ololihii buug qoraalka ee manaahijta
- Hawla horumarinta Afka ilaa 1977+gaar ahaan 3
Waayaha Af Soomaaliga ee
Hadda
• Burburkii Dalka iyo hawlaha Afka oo qabya
ahaa.