Somali language (Af Soomaali)

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Leezu
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Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-12, 15:02

Here is where we can learn the Somali language!

I will begin with some information about the Somali language:

Somali belongs to the Cushitic language family of the Afro-Asiatic languages and is closely related to Oromo and Afar.
Somali is the second largest Cushitic after Oromo (30+ million) and ahead of Afar (2+ million) with its estimated 25+ million native speakers worldwide (estimated only, the numbers are not 100% correct due to the civil war in Somalia and Somali rebels in Ethiopia). It is the official language of Somalia and recognised language in Djibouti and Ethiopia, mostly the eastern regions of both these countries are native to ethnic Somali people.
The official script of Somali is Latin since 1972 before that Somali didnt have an official script and the most widely used scripts was the native script called Osmanya and the Arabic script.
The language has 22 consonants and 20 pure vowel sounds and is a agglutinative language.

Somali has many long vowels such as ee, oo, aa, uu and ii and uses 'c' as a strong A, 'x' as a strong H and 'dh' as a strong D.

If you know Somali please contribute to this thread!

Some websites for Somali learners:
http://www.linguistics.universityofqaran.com/
http://iteslj.org/v/so/beg_eng.html
http://quizlet.com/63160/somali-useful- ... ash-cards/
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-12, 15:25

Didn't like the old thread?

Still it's pretty cool.
Sorry, that's about all I can contribute right now. :oops:

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Mancko » 2011-09-12, 19:55

If you want to count in Somali, here are the first numbers:

1 – ków
2 – lába
3 – sáddex
4 – áfar
5 – shán
6 – líx
7 – toddobá
8 – siddéed
9 – sagaal
10 – toban

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-13, 19:58

Continuing counting...

11 - toban iyo kow (Mostly used by South Somalis) or kow iyo toban (Mostly used by North Somalis; Standard Somali) - You can use which one you prefer when you count all the Somali numbers.
12 - toban iyo laba (laba iyo toban)
13 - toban iyo saddex
14 - toban iyo afar
20 - labaatan
21 - labaatan iyo kow (kow iyo labaatan)
30 - soddon
40 - afartan
50 - konton
60 - lixdan
70 - toddobaatan
80 - siddeetan
90 - sagaashan
100 - boqol
1000 - kun
1000000 - malyuun

No native Somalis around?
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-13, 20:33

No, unfortunately. I just did a search and only found 1 person (most likely a bot/spammer).

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-13, 21:14

księżycowy wrote:No, unfortunately. I just did a search and only found 1 person (most likely a bot/spammer).


Okay, looks like I'll have to do my best to teach you guys the language of the poets.
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-13, 21:37

Now we will learn a few basic phrases through a dialogue.

P1: Nabadey. = Hello. (Salaamu alaikum is widely used)
P2:Nabadey.
P1: Magacaa? = What's your name?
P2: Magaceygu wa Fuad, adiga ne? = My name is Fuad, and you?
P1: Magaceygu wa Maxad. = My name is Mahad.
P2: Setahay? = How are you? (Can also use; Ma ficantahay, Sideed tahay and Iska warran)
P1: Wa ficanahay, adiga ne? = I am good, and you?
P2: Aniga xaata wa ficanahay. = I am also good.
P1: In aan socotay haddana waaye. = I have to go now.
P2: Waa yahay, aniga xaata, nabadgelyo. = Okay, me too, bye.
P1: Nabadgelyo. = Bye.

wa/waaye = is/am
adiga = you
fican = good
aniga = I
xaata = also
soco = to go
hadda = now

More phrases, words and some dialogues to come.
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-13, 21:59

Leezu wrote:
księżycowy wrote:No, unfortunately. I just did a search and only found 1 person (most likely a bot/spammer).


Okay, looks like I'll have to do my best to teach you guys the language of the poets.

Cool. I'll be sure to follow the lessons as best as I can. Between that and Colloquial Somali I may pick it up quite well.

Not that I was planing to learn Somali so soon, but it might be easier then Yoruba right now. :hmm:

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-14, 15:20

^Alright, if there is anything your wondering, ask me and I'll try my best to find your answer.

Somalis use many proverbs and has alot of them, here are a few examples I found and some words to add to your vocabulary...

1. Nin wax cunay xishood.
"A man who has eaten something becomes shy."

2. Waa dhalaankii dhalmada hooyadood baray.
"These youth taught their mother to give birth."

3. Talo walaal diide taagoogta ayuu kajabaa.
"One refusing a sibling's advice breaks his arm."

4. Mukulaal mininkeeda joogta miciyo libaax bay leedahay.
"A cat in her house has the teeth of a lion."

5. Rag tag lama dhago ee wuxuu ku tago ayaa la tusiya.
"One doesn't tell a man 'go away' but one shows him something so he will go."

6. Nin cimrigiisa dheerada geel dhalaya ayuu arkaa.
"A man prolonging his age sees a camel giving birth."

7. Naag waa guri ama god ha kaga jirto. (or) Naag ha kaga jirto guri ama god.
"Your woman should be in the house or in the grave."

8. Kunka koodi kownaka guurso.
"A thousand assignations, one marriage."

9. Ragna waa shaah, dumarna waa sheeko.
"Men for tea, women for talk."

10. Soomaali been ma maahmaah do.
"Somalis don't say a false proverb."

Glossary

nin 'man'
wax 'thing'
cun 'to eat'
xishow 'to be/become shy, timid, ashamed'
dhalaan 'youth'
dhalma 'birth'
hooyo 'mother'
bar 'to teach'
talo 'advice'
walall 'sibling'
diid 'to refuse'
taagoog 'upper arm'
kajab 'to break'
mukulaal 'cat'
minin 'house' (only used in the capital)
joog 'to be located'
mici 'canine tooth'
libaax 'lion'
rag 'man, men, mankind'
tag 'to depart'
dhah 'to say'
ee 'CONJUNCTION'
tus 'show'
cimri 'age'
dheer 'tall, long'
geel 'camel'
dhal 'to give birth'
ark 'to see'
naag 'woman'
guri 'house'
ama/mise 'or'
god 'hole, grave'
ku jir 'to be in a place'
kun 'thousand'
kood 'secret conversation, private talk'
kow 'one'
guurso 'to marry'
shaah 'tea'
dumar 'women, womankind'
sheeko 'conversation'
been 'false'
maahmaah 'proverb'
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-14, 16:00

Leezu wrote:^Alright, if there is anything your wondering, ask me and I'll try my best to find your answer.

Sure will! And just to warn you now, my progress will most likely be slow, just so you know. Don't want you getting discouraged or anything.

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-14, 17:18

księżycowy wrote:
Leezu wrote:^Alright, if there is anything your wondering, ask me and I'll try my best to find your answer.

Sure will! And just to warn you now, my progress will most likely be slow, just so you know. Don't want you getting discouraged or anything.


Haha no problem ofcourse it will take time to learn :) I am learning myself right now trying to learn as many words as possible and speak using them and the words I already know.
I wanna learn this language as fast as possible since its one of my two natives, the other being Swedish also so that I can focus solely on my German learning.
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-14, 19:21

I just meant that in the sense of I'm working on Irish, French and Greek as my main three right now.
But I'll give Somali some attention, so no worries. :wink:

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-16, 20:00

Alright :)

More proverbs, another site which can be useful for beginners.

Af Daboolan, Dahab waaye = In English, Silent mouth is gold, which implies that a restrained mouth is very valuable.

Afkaga caano qabow lagu qabay, which means 'may your mouth be filled with cold milk', signifies a state of agreement. It is not technically a proverb but an expression usually used when people are in 'delight agreement'

Baadi kugu raagta xoolahaaga barkood moodaa. Rough translation: One thinks that a lost item that stayed with him/her for a long time as his/her property.

Aqoon la'aani waa iftiin la'aan, without knowledge is without light. This proverb essentially reflects how important it is to seek knowledge and be a student of the world.

Ilko wadajir bey wax ku gooyaan, together the teeth do cut. It means that, no matter what, unity is always a key. United we stand, divided we fall.

Intaadan falin ka fiirso, look before you leap. Think twice before you do things you shouldn't have to be doing. Always good idea to have plan.

Nabar doogi ma haro, an old wound won't go away. Although it is easy to pacify among warring sides, but the wound might still be there.

Far kaliya fool madhaqdo, a finger can't wash the whole face. It means that only one person can't be expected to do work that requires collective responsibility. Together we stand!

Hadal badan haan ma buuxsho, 'too much talk doesn't fill a tank'. It implies that the lesser the talk, the better the quality.

Maroodiga tagarta saaran ma arkee, maroodiga kale tan saaran buu arkaa, an elephant doesn't see the tick on its back, instead it sees the one on the other one. This proverb means that people seem to look at other people's problems instead of focusing on theirs.

Dabool = Silence
Af = Mouth
Dahab = Gold
Nabar or Dhawaac = Wound
Qaba = To have
Qaboow = Cold
Kuleel = Hot
Hadal = Talk
Badan = Much/Alot
Buuxinaya = To fill
Maroodi = Elephant
Arkaya = To see

A site which is pretty good for beginners, includes exercises:
http://www.digitaldialects.com/Somali.htm
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-19, 15:17

Here is a nice site where you can improve your Somali vocabulary and learn about the seasons and months of the year and also there is English-Somali translation of the English grammar.

http://members.fortunecity.com/leanora/somindex.html
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Chekhov » 2011-09-19, 16:27

Af Daboolan, Dahab waaye = In English, Silent mouth is gold, which implies that a restrained mouth is very valuable.
Or an English proverb: "Silence is golden."
Baadi kugu raagta xoolahaaga barkood moodaa. Rough translation: One thinks that a lost item that stayed with him/her for a long time as his/her property.
Sounds like "possession is nine tenths of the law".
Aqoon la'aani waa iftiin la'aan, without knowledge is without light. This proverb essentially reflects how important it is to seek knowledge and be a student of the world.
In Arabic, "knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness".
吾が舞へば、麗し女、酔ひにけり
吾が舞へば、照る月、響むなり

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-19, 17:50

Chekhov wrote:
Af Daboolan, Dahab waaye = In English, Silent mouth is gold, which implies that a restrained mouth is very valuable.
Or an English proverb: "Silence is golden."
Baadi kugu raagta xoolahaaga barkood moodaa. Rough translation: One thinks that a lost item that stayed with him/her for a long time as his/her property.
Sounds like "possession is nine tenths of the law".
Aqoon la'aani waa iftiin la'aan, without knowledge is without light. This proverb essentially reflects how important it is to seek knowledge and be a student of the world.
In Arabic, "knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness".


These are indigenous proverbs with a rough translation. They are similar but no the same proverb.
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby BezierCurve » 2011-09-19, 18:12

Hi, glad to see someone teaching Somali here :)

I was told once by a friend that "c" in Somali (strong "A", as you put it) represents the same sound as Arabic Ayin (pharyngeal fricative). Just wanted to make sure this is what it is?

Also, would you be so kind and help me put apart two utterances I know so far (a starting point as good as any, I guess):

"Mashqulmiyah" = "(I'm) busy"
"Benwashekty" = "You're lying"

?
Brejkam wszystkie rule.

"I love tautologies, they're so ... tautological." Hunef

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby księżycowy » 2011-09-19, 18:53

BezierCurve wrote:Hi, glad to see someone teaching Somali here :)

I was told once by a friend that "c" in Somali (strong "A", as you put it) represents the same sound as Arabic Ayin (pharyngeal fricative). Just wanted to make sure this is what it is?

Based on the little Somali and even less Arabic I know, yes, it is.

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby Leezu » 2011-09-19, 23:32

BezierCurve wrote:Hi, glad to see someone teaching Somali here :)

I was told once by a friend that "c" in Somali (strong "A", as you put it) represents the same sound as Arabic Ayin (pharyngeal fricative). Just wanted to make sure this is what it is?

Also, would you be so kind and help me put apart two utterances I know so far (a starting point as good as any, I guess):

"Mashqulmiyah" = "(I'm) busy"
"Benwashekty" = "You're lying"

?


Yes it is the same as the Arabic letter (Ayn), the Somali language pretty much has the same alphabet as Arabic since it used it after it lost its native ancient script.

As with the sentences:
Mashquul anahay (not 100% sure about this one) = I'm busy
Been wa sheegtay = You're lying

The word "miyaa" that I think you wrote with "Mashquul" actually means: Is it
Which makes 'Mashquul miyaa' = Is it busy could be used in a sentence like this:
Is the toilet busy? = Musqusha mashquul miyaa?
If you see an Habesha and a snake, kill the Habesha first because the snake might not be poisonous.
Native: Swedish, Somali (forgotten)
Fluent: English
Intermediate: German, Somali
Beginner: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese

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Re: Somali language (Af Soomaali)

Postby BezierCurve » 2011-09-20, 6:31

Thanks, yes, it could've been a question "Is it busy", that makes perfect sense.

I wonder what would be the difference bewteen "magacayga" and "magaceygu"? (The first one found on the University Of Qaran website).

Also, what does the suffix "-u" do in personal pronouns (aniga/u, adiga/u etc.)?
Brejkam wszystkie rule.

"I love tautologies, they're so ... tautological." Hunef


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