Northern Vs Southern Somali:

[Come Learn Somali]

Does Northern Somali have more Arabic, and English words than Southern Somali? How common are English loanwords in Northern Somali?

And does the South have more Italian? 

 

Feel free to share with us of any other lingustic differences between the two that you know. 

 

[Quneitra]

I would asume the british colonized Somaliland would have more english words and the italian colonized southern somalia would have more italian words.

By logic.

[Come Learn Somali]

I think that makes sense. What about for Arabic? 

1 hour ago, Quneitra said:

I would asume the british colonized Somaliland would have more english words and the italian colonized southern somalia would have more italian words.

By logic.

 

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Yes, Waqooyi dialect has more Carabi words, including beyd (egg), daqiiq (flour) and digaag (chicken). 

In Koonfurta, they use the original Cushitic Soomaali words of ukun, bur and dooro, respectively.

Northerners also use English words such as maayor (mayor), biriij (bridge), barasaab (regional leader). Barasaab is actually an Indian word.

In Koonfur, again they use Cushitic original Soomaali words of duqa magaalada for mayor and guddoomiye gobol for regional leader.

Then there are words like biriij (bridge) and tuweel (towel) folks in the North use. In Koonfurta they use the Soomaalinized Talyaani words of buundo and shukumaan.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

By the way, both of you welcome to SOL forum.

[Quneitra]

13 hours ago, Home said:

I think that makes sense. What about for Arabic? 

 

near the coastal and merchant cities would have more foreign influence etc.

[Come Learn Somali]

15 hours ago, Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said:

Yes, Waqooyi dialect has more Carabi words, including beyd (egg), daqiiq (flour) and digaag (chicken). 

In Koonfurta, they use the original Cushitic Soomaali words of ukun, bur and dooro, respectively.

Northerners also use English words such as maayor (mayor), biriij (bridge), barasaab (regional leader). Barasaab is actually an Indian word.

In Koonfur, again they use Cushitic original Soomaali words of duqa magaalada for mayor and guddoomiye gobol for regional leader.

Then there are words like biriij (bridge) and tuweel (towel) folks in the North use. In Koonfurta they use the Soomaalinized Talyaani words of buundo and shukumaan.

Thank you both for the helpful. Thank you for the welcome, Miskiin.  I didn't knew "beyd" was Arabic. I'm not sure why the North has more Arabic though. Is it due to colonization by Arabs, or their closer proximity to the Arab countries? 

3 hours ago, Quneitra said:

near the coastal and merchant cities would have more foreign influence etc.

 

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

18 hours ago, Home said:

Thank you both for the helpful. Thank you for the welcome, Miskiin.  I didn't knew "beyd" was Arabic. I'm not sure why the North has more Arabic though. Is it due to colonization by Arabs, or their closer proximity to the Arab countries? 

 

I guess Berbera and other Northern xeeb towns close to Carabiya has to do with heavily influenced Carabi words in Waqooyi Soomaali dialect. A few more I can remember now as well:

In Waqooyiga, washroom/toilet is called xamxam from Carabi. In Koonfurta, it is musqul.

In Waqooyi, most folks down there call a spoon macalgo from Carabi. In Koonfurta, it is the Soomaali word qaaddo.

In Waqooyiga, kitchen is called kushiin from English word cousine, which itself is based on Latin. In Koonfurta, it is jiko, which shares with Kiswaaxili/Sawaaxili word jikoni.

There are many more examples.

[Come Learn Somali]

On 4/27/2020 at 7:45 AM, Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said:

I guess Berbera and other Northern xeeb towns close to Carabiya has to do with heavily influenced Carabi words in Waqooyi Soomaali dialect. A few more I can remember now as well:

In Waqooyiga, washroom/toilet is called xamxam from Carabi. In Koonfurta, it is musqul.

In Waqooyi, most folks down there call a spoon macalgo from Carabi. In Koonfurta, it is the Soomaali word qaaddo.

In Waqooyiga, kitchen is called kushiin from English word cousine, which itself is based on Latin. In Koonfurta, it is jiko, which shares with Kiswaaxili/Sawaaxili word jikoni.

There are many more examples.

Waan garti = Waan fahmay. Maybe there's a difference in pronouncation or something, though I think reer-Waqooyi call it "malcaqad", not "macalgo". I've watched a few reer-Waqooyi, properly mainly Somalilander YouTubers, so I picked up these few words dee. Jajaja. 

I also haven't heard of "xamxam" before, I heard they call it "suuli" and maybe other things. 

 

[qofkale]

Although the Waqooyi dialect has it's fair share of English and Arabic loanwords. It's a misconception that the Koonfur dialect is less mixed. The Koonfur dialect has it's fair share of Italian loanwords. Here are just to name a few;

fiilo - filo (cord)
jaalo - giallo (yellow)
ayuto - aiuto (help)
boorso - borsa (bag)
goono - gonna (skirt)
jalaato - gelato (ice cream)
katiinad - cateena (chain)
rajastiin/rajabeeto - reggiseno/reggipeto (bra)
foorno - forno (oven)
toosh - torcia (torch)
okayaalo - occhiali (glasses)
kooba diin - comodino (night table)
katabaan - attaccapanni (coat hanger)
armaajo - armadio (wardrobe)
suugo - sugo (sauce)
doolshe - dolce (cake)
fargeeto - forchetta (fork)
taako - tacco (heels)

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

4 hours ago, qofkale said:

Although the Waqooyi dialect has it's fair share of English and Arabic loanwords. It's a misconception that the Koonfur dialect is less mixed. The Koonfur dialect has it's fair share of Italian loanwords. Here are just to name a few;

fiilo - filo (cord)
jaalo - giallo (yellow)
ayuto - aiuto (help)
boorso - borsa (bag)
goono - gonna (skirt)
jalaato - gelato (ice cream)
katiinad - cateena (chain)
rajastiin/rajabeeto - reggiseno/reggipeto (bra)
foorno - forno (oven)
toosh - torcia (torch)
okayaalo - occhiali (glasses)
kooba diin - comodino (night table)
katabaan - attaccapanni (coat hanger)
armaajo - armadio (wardrobe)
suugo - sugo (sauce)
doolshe - dolce (cake)
fargeeto - forchetta (fork)
taako - tacco (heels)

Of course those and many more are Soomaalinized foreign words. Now bring the Waqooyi version of them and let's see how many of them are original Soomaali words.

What we were talking about was the the words that have original in Soomaali language in one dialect while the other does not. If both dialects use borrowed foreign words - like 'biriij' and 'buundo' or tuweel and shukumaan - which were equally borrowed from Ingiriis and Talyaani, then both should not be counted. I was listing Waqooyi-borrowed words like beyd, daqiiq, digaag, xamxam whereas original words in Soomaali exist and used by Koonfurta, like ukun, bur, dooro, musqul respectively.

[Tallaabo]

On 4/26/2020 at 2:20 AM, Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said:

Yes, Waqooyi dialect has more Carabi words, including beyd (egg), daqiiq (flour) and digaag (chicken). 

In Koonfurta, they use the original Cushitic Soomaali words of ukun, bur and dooro, respectively.

Northerners also use English words such as maayor (mayor), biriij (bridge), barasaab (regional leader). Barasaab is actually an Indian word.

In Koonfur, again they use Cushitic original Soomaali words of duqa magaalada for mayor and guddoomiye gobol for regional leader.

Then there are words like biriij (bridge) and tuweel (towel) folks in the North use. In Koonfurta they use the Soomaalinized Talyaani words of buundo and shukumaan.

I don't know where you got your misinformation but we do use all the Somali words you made exclusive to koonfur. The only word which has a different meaning in waqooyi is "dooro" which is the word for the filt in the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis. 

[Come Learn Somali]

7 hours ago, Tallaabo said:

I don't know where you got your misinformation but we do use all the Somali words you made exclusive to koonfur. The only word which has a different meaning in waqooyi is "dooro" which is the word for the filt in the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis. 

Do you commonly hear them used there? Whenever I watched dialect comparison videos of the North (I suppose more so Somaliland) VS. South, I hear them use the previously mentioned English/Arabic words. 

Whereas in the South I hear the Somali/Italian words used more commonly, and maybe a few Arabic: excluding religious words. Though, maybe Arabic is not used as much as it's in the North. Or maybe we don't use it as much as we use Italian words. 

"Cusbo" they also seem to use a different word for.

 

 

[Come Learn Somali]

14 hours ago, qofkale said:

Although the Waqooyi dialect has it's fair share of English and Arabic loanwords. It's a misconception that the Koonfur dialect is less mixed. The Koonfur dialect has it's fair share of Italian loanwords. Here are just to name a few;

fiilo - filo (cord)
jaalo - giallo (yellow)
ayuto - aiuto (help)
boorso - borsa (bag)
goono - gonna (skirt)
jalaato - gelato (ice cream)
katiinad - cateena (chain)
rajastiin/rajabeeto - reggiseno/reggipeto (bra)
foorno - forno (oven)
toosh - torcia (torch)
okayaalo - occhiali (glasses)
kooba diin - comodino (night table)
katabaan - attaccapanni (coat hanger)
armaajo - armadio (wardrobe)
suugo - sugo (sauce)
doolshe - dolce (cake)
fargeeto - forchetta (fork)
taako - tacco (heels)

Thank you! These are helping with improving my Somali because my writing is qashin.

 

By the way, my question isn't about which is more mixed, though which is more mixed with what. I get that both dialects have their fair share of loan words. Just wasn't so sure about the amount and from which languages each takes from. 

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

On 5/6/2020 at 10:15 AM, Tallaabo said:

I don't know where you got your misinformation but we do use all the Somali words you made exclusive to koonfur. The only word which has a different meaning in waqooyi is "dooro" which is the word for the filt in the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis. 

Waxaa rabtaa inaa naga dhaadhicisid in beyd, daqiiq, digaag, xamxam, et cetera laga isticmaalin Waqooyiga?

Perhaps adiga shaqsi ahaantaa iska hadal, laga yaabaa deegaan kale ku soo kortay, but Waqooyi bred folks use ereyada aan kor ku sheegay. Even this Soomaali origin word 'erey' is used less frequently in Waqooyiga. Instead many of them use the Carabi version, 'kalmad/kelmad.'