Somali language

Somali language is spoken mostly in Somalia.

Grammatical categories of Somali language are:

  • Noun
  • Pronoun
  • Verb
  • Adjective
  • Preposition
  • Determiner
  • Focus word
  • Classifier
  • And finally Conjunction

As you may notice here, the Somali has some grammatical categories which are not found in many other languages including English, French, Arabic, etc., for example focus word or the focalization phenomenon which concerns those elements in the formation of the sentence which tell us where the intention or the interest or the focus is located in the phrase.

The words baa, ayaa, and waxaa put the focus on nouns and noun phrases. Example:

  1. John baa baxay -

John Focus(baa) went out

  1. John ayaa baxay -

John Focus(ayaa) went out

  1. Waxaa baxay John -

Focus(waxaa) went out John

Thus, the words baa, ayaa, and waxaa make think about, unknowingly, who went out? Therefore the noun. We have also in Somali language the word waa which puts the focus on verbs and verb phrases.

Example:

John waa baxay John Focus(waa) went out

Waa is different from other previous one we have just seen, because it makes you think about: what did John do? Therefore the verb.

Somali language is not a complicated and brain-burning language as many people including Somalis are convinced, but the fact is very little has been done about its grammar. Nevertheless, some books of Somali language are:

1) Somali Reference Grammar. Written by John Ibrahim Saeed And if you can read Italian: 2) Studi Somali 5: Aspetti morfologici, lessicali e della focalizzazione. A cura di A.Puglielli. 3) Studi Somali 2: Sintassi della lingua somala. A cura di A. Puglielli. If you don’t read Italian, don’t worry that its not a big deal. The first book might be able to cover your needs.

External link



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