Tips on Learning to Read, Write and Speak Af-Soomaali

Before we get started on some of the tips and ways that some one can learn Somali language, I would like to give you a brief background information and address common misconceptions about the Somali language. 

The people: Somali(s) – Soomaali 

The language: Somali – Af-Soomaali 

The country: Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. 

The Somali language is spoken in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. No, this is not due to the Somali diaspora that fled to Ethiopia, Kenya, or Djibouti due to the Somali civil war. The European colonizers gave a portion of Somalia to Ethiopia called Somali Galbeed, Ogadenia, or the Somali State. Jigjiga is the capital of the Somali State. This was one of the reasons that Somalia and Ethiopia went to war in 1977 in efforts to regain this region from Ethiopia. The European colonizers also  gave a portion of Somalia to Kenya, called North Eastern Province (NFD). Garrisa is the capital of NFD. Djibouti became its own country after the French colonization. The inhabitants of those areas are all Somali and primarily speak the Somali language. This is what the five sides of the Somali star, the white star in the Somali flag, represents. It represents Northern Somalia, Southern Somalia, Djibouti, Somali State, and NFD. Often called, shanta Soomaali or the five Somalis. There are also large Somali diaspora communities across the globe who speak the Somali language. 

The Somali language is an ancient language in the Eastern Cushatic branch of the Afro-Asiatic languages along with Oromo, Afar and Beja languages. There is a common misconception that Somali language was not written before the 1970s. The latin Somali script was adopted in 1972. However, there are earlier scripts such as the Osmanya script and the Borama script. Arabic script was also used to write Somali. Somali people have spoken Somali language for thousands of years before the adoption of the latin script. Somali language was not written or invented in 1972, the latin script was adopted in 1972. 

The Somali language has two dialects, the Maay and the Maxaa Tiri dialects. I speak the Maxaa Tiri dialect as do most Somali people. I am trying to learn the Maay dialect. There are a number of different accents of the Somali language, those accents are sometimes regional/state or tribal based. With the newest addition to the Somali accents being the diaspora accent, which I think should be accepted as a legitimate Somali accent. And yes, this is a biased statement. While I speak Somali in a mix of several different Somali accents, I have a soft spot for diaspora folks, as I am one of them. Most of my younger siblings, cousins, friends and younger community members in the diaspora speak with a distinct accent. A lot of Somali speakers make fun of them for speaking Somali with that particular accent, but I think it should be accepted as a legitimate Somali accent. 

I speak Somali, but I cannot read or write Somali. How can I learn to read and write Af-Soomaali? 

This is one of the most common questions that I get from Somali people. There are many people who are fluent in Somali, but never had the opportunity to learn how to read and write Somali. Speaking Somali makes learning to read Somali, to write Somali, and to learn the Somali grammar easier. 

On the most basic level, to be able to read and write Somali, you need to learn the alphabets (consonants and vowels). There are a couple of nuances in the Somali language that you will have to learn as your Somali language skills increase, but since you already know how to speak the language, you will just have to pay attention to the sentences that you are reading.  I will share two of those nuances below. 

Somali alphabets have 21 consonants, listed below: 

Somali language has 2 types of vowels, short vowels and long vowels, listed below:  

Words that are written the same way but pronounced differently 

There are words in the Somali language that are spelled the same way but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. The best way to distinguish between the words that are written the same way but are pronounced differently is to know their meaning and use context clues in the sentences that you are reading. 

Example: 

Words that are written the same, pronounced the same but have different meanings 

There are words in the Somali language that are written the same, pronounced the same but have different meanings. The best way to distinguish between the words that are written and pronounced the same way but have different meanings is to use context clues. They often have drastically different meanings. 

Example: 

The rest is practice. Keep practicing to read and write Somali. Practice reading out loud. Practice reading what you wrote out loud. Share what you wrote with others who read Somali. 

Never be ashamed to read it incorrectly or to write it incorrectly as that is a natural part of the process of learning anything new. Your intelligence and your value as a person is not tied to reading or writing any language perfectly. Do not worry about others laughing at you, you will have the last laugh once you master reading and writing the Somali language. 

I understand Somali but cannot speak Somali. How can I learn to speak Somali? 

This is the most common question that I get from Somali people in the diaspora, mostly the younger generation. Most Somalis who grew up in the diaspora have family members who speak Somali. They grew up hearing their parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents speak Somali. They understand what Somali speakers are saying but do not know how to respond in Somali or are afraid of speaking Somali to Somali speakers. 

Your ability to understand Af-Somali and most things that Somali speakers are saying to you shows that you already have a good grasp of the Somali language. You just need to start practicing and saying words and sentences that you already know. Most of the language is already inside your brain, let it come out. Face that shame and fear of saying it incorrectly, and kick it! Do not worry about people laughing at you or correcting you. Take their laughs and attempts to shame you and turn it into constructive feedback. Turn it into an opportunity for you to learn something new and improve your Somali language skills. Once they are done laughing, ask them what you said wrong and what the correct way to say it is. Don’t take it personally. No one was born speaking Somali, every single human learned every single language that they speak at some point in their life. Just because someone had the opportunity to learn before you did does not make them more intelligent than you are. Learn through trials and errors. 

The second thing that I would recommend is to try to learn the masculine and femanine structure of the Somali language. This impacts how the nouns are inflected and how the sentence is structured. Taking Somali grammar class or reading Somali grammar books could help with this. 

Lastly, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more. There is no shame in pronouncing words incorrectly, having a certain accent, or saying grammatically incorrect sentences. I will say this again, it is part of the natural process of learning a language.  

How can I learn or retain Af-Soomaali while living in the diaspora?

My elementary school, from 1st to 6th grade, was in Somali. We were reading Sayid Mohamed Abdille Hassan poems in class by the time we moved to the US. I already had a good grasp of the Somali language, I was able to read it, speak it, and write it. When we moved to Minnesota, my mom urged us to speak Somali at home. I was also in Minnesota which has a large Somali community. So I didn’t really have to do a lot to retain it. 

Below are several things that helped me retain my Somali and learn more Somali while living in the diaspora:  

Reading Content written in Somali

Reading is one of the best ways to build your vocabulary and language skills. I try to read any and every Somali book that I could find. Indiana university has a large collection of Somali books. This is free and available to the public. Here is a link to some of their Somali books: 

https://iucat.iu.edu/iuk?f%5Bformat%5D%5B%5D=Book&q=%22Somali+language%22&search_field=subject_link&search_scope=catalog 

Number of Somali books are also available on Amazon and other book platforms that you can order.  

Blog posts written in Somali are also a good way to build your Somali language skills. I often write blog posts in Af-Soomaali, feel free to go through the content in my blog and use it to learn Somali. There are a lot of other bloggers and websites who publish content in Somali. 

Taking Somali Classes:

Some of the dugsyo and schools in Minnesota have Somali classes. Taking those classes can help you not only retain, but also learn the Somali language. If the institutions that you are going to do not have Somali class, ask for one. Sometimes that is all it takes. 

I took two Somali classes at the University of Minnesota taught by Said Salah. He is a great Somali teacher, poet, play writer and author. If you are a student at the University of Minnesota or any other universities or colleges in Minnesota, I highly recommend taking this class. 

If you are in Minnesota, there are a number of other organizations that sponsor Somali language classes. Try to take advantage of those programs. For example, Somali Museum of Minnesota sponsored Somali class a number of years ago. The class was free and available to the public. So keep an eye out for classes like that or better yet, try to get an organization to sponsor them. 

Taking Tafsiir and other Islamic classes by Somali Teachers 

Most Somali scholars are very skilled in the Somali language. I started taking Islamic classes taught by Somali teachers about six years ago or so. In that time, my Somali language skills drastically improved. In almost every single day I went to class, I learned a new Somali word. Tafsiir classes are a great way to learn Somali as the teachers give multiple examples of the word and explain what different words mean. Tafsiir classes also help reduce that fear and shame of asking what a word means. Most people are there to learn what the words mean, so it is a lot more acceptable to ask for explanations. 

Consuming Somali content for entertainment 

I consume a lot of Somali content for entertainment. There are alot of Amazing Somali story tellers you can follow on Youtube and on other social media platforms. Fathia Absie and Asha Luul (LuulTube) are two such examples that I would recommend. 

I watch old Somali plays. I read or listen to old Somali poems. I have a Somali dictionary and look up any words that I do not understand. If you can look past the tribal issues and the misogyny, most of the old Somali poems are rich in Somali language and can even be entertaining at times. Doollo.com has a good collection of old Somali poems.