Af-Soomaali: Near Extinction in Diaspora

[Yoonka]

Af-Soomaali: Near Extinction in Diaspora

 

I was speaking in the most ancient language in the world. In an afternoon ride with the Orange Line train to Forest Hills, my cell ringed. It was my uncle, Dalmar, who occasionally calls me to update him about the issues of Somalia. Silent passengers next to me were wondering what in the world I was speaking. My uncle, a great conversationalist in Somali language, never dilutes any foreign words in his language. In return, I diligently tried to avoid English. Oblivious in the flow of the nice conversation with my uncle, all passengers had to stare me with curiosity fixed on their eyes, but having no hints to deduce from either my language, or the complexion of my strange appearance that borders sometimes Indian, or Arab, or the other physically neutral ethnics on the earth.

 

“What language were you speaking,†asked hastily at the end of the call by one old white man sitting across my seat. Before I answered his question, I paused, reading glaring smiles at the faces of a tolerably observing crowd in the packed car of the train. ‘Somali’, I said nervously. That has partially satiated their appetite to know about the rhythmically attracting slow language. With sure sign of encouragement in his voice, the old man chanted, “I enjoyed just the listening of it, though I didn’t understand, but never lose your language, son.†Later, as we stepped off the train for the same stop, I realized he was a linguistic expert and professor at Harvard University.

 

Languages are beautiful things, indispensable they are in our communications, that humanity would seem meaningless without them. But there is one great problem, languages swallow one another. Our Somali language in the Diaspora, in particular, is gone to the grinding of the last gulp by foreign languages, including English language. If that happens successfully, Somalis in back home will get the affect of a linguistic downward spiral that would make our language more like Creole, because of our influence from the Diaspora. The general tragedy, however, will be a loss of an ancient language by all humanity.

 

Somali language, unlike other material languages, is unique with great wisdoms, poetries nutritional to the mind, and a definitive understanding of humans in general. It makes our stup!d look smart to speaking in it, and the rich proverbs in it marks it the top of all languages. But since sixties, our language has became stagnant, probably because of many factors, including the shrinking of nomadic culture, public disinterest to poetries, and the threat of intersecting foreign languages to our culture as we became exposed to them.

 

In my hand now is the first and the last Somali dictionary printed in 1976 by author Yaasiin C. Keenadiid, at the Department of Heritage and the Academia of Higher Education. To get the ownership of this red cover book, I had to order its rare warn-out copy from Mogadishu, and then travel to pick it up, among other books, from Fairfax, Virginia. About 65% of its contents are almost as foreign to us as the Chinese language. Inside section D, you see Dhurbe, Dhuluuluc, and on section F, Fuuddhuug, and on section H, Hiijo, all nonexistent in the daily practical Somali language we speak or write.

 

Coincidently, and of course, with this issue in mind, I picked up last week - on my way to work - an old Somali mother to a near office that she wanted to go. In the few minutes we were together, the notion that our culture is at risk has sparked somewhere in our talk. Suddenly, she was beautifully reciting some sad poetic verses she made about the decline of our culture and language. I asked her, “Eedo, maxaa kugu kalifay inaad tiriso gabayadan?†“Deep anger,†she said. Well, she was not alone in the deep anger she expressed rightfully. In my friend’s house, there is a battle, bigger than the one between Bush and Osama: Children drifted in the mainstream culture and the parent’s concern of losing the cultural identity. The battle has taught me one lesson: you cannot force a language to be spoken, but you can facilitate an atmosphere that can offer an incentive and rewards.

 

In an effort to encourage Somali language, I called one day for some Somali kids, probably between 6 up to 13 years of age, for a language game I devised for them. The golden rules to comply were, no English, no hmm, or een, but talk in Somali. On every topic we discussed - for instance food or animals - the one who chatted in Somali and did not utter any English would receive $1.25 through their parents. I drained almost $36 dollars from my pocket to the challenging but voluntary game of verbal talkativeness. The one who pleased me with coherent skills of Somali language was receiving additional money. The result I gained however was stunning: all participated eagerly with tortured broken Somali, and the passion was really high. Sadly, large percentages of these kids came from Somali households who do not encourage speaking Somali, or offering even a day for Somali language at home. Our community centers across the board had failed to reverse this trend.

 

When kids are ashamed from speaking in their language and adults themselves are conversing in non-Somali languages, even before the kids, or more worse asking their offspring to speak English at home, that guarantees a true recipe for language extinction. Our mother tongue is going to stop with us before the emerging future Somali generations of these foreign lands. In less than 10 years, the majority of recent Somali immigrants in America and Canada had strikingly started to experience withering cultural values, but mainly at the language aspect, and this evidently seems now the beginning of chain problems to come. In my understanding, the loss of everything starts with the language. Once you lose your language, the rest of the cultural values you adhere will gradually flush down to the toilet. That is why the verdict of a great Sheikh from Somalia has called our language as part of Islam, since its speakers are always within the fold of Islam.

 

Moreover, for a society like us that departed from one rich language to hundreds of funny languages, spoken in the distant corners of the globe we settled as refugees, would make each of us suffer from the barrier of permanent miscommunications among our family members. Damaging as it is, misinterpretations, and language differences would set in our families. A father would have a difficulty conveying a simple message in Somali to his son. A mother would call a translator to discuss a serious issue with her daughter. Then, finally, our society would lose something that binds together and the death of a great language would forfeit the essence of our society.

 

The ancientness of our language is something, but the treasury that came with it from thousands of past generations is another that needs an ever-urgent preservation in keeping the vitality of our history and culture intact. Sure, languages die as anything else, but for Somali language to die in negligence on our side is something that is very unacceptable. Now, the quest starts here, in our mouth, and yes, we can preserve it through singing the beauty of its uniqueness as the mother of all languages. Remember, the Somali language does not need us, its us who need it beyond a communicative platform for generations to come.

 

By, Ibrahim Abdulkadir

ibrossorbi@hotmail.com

 

 

Source: Wardheernews

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Af Soomaali muhiimadiis ayaa laga hadlaa, hadana isla qofkii ayaa af shisheeya isticmaalaaya.

 

Af Soomaali waa af udgoon, qani ah waliba, laakiin nasiibdaro dad badan oo isla afkaas u dhashay ayaan jecleen afkooda hodanka ah.

 

Hadaa Soomaalida weydiisay ereyga 'gentleman' maxaa af Soomaali lagu dhahaa, dad yar kaliya ayaa yaqaano. Dadkaas yarna qaarkood si qalad u fasiro, oo lasoo boodaayo 'mudane.'

 

Gentleman sax ahaan waxaa loo fasiraa 'magal,' not confused with 'magan.'

[Animal Farm]

A while back several my friends and I were contemplating what Somalia would be like in 30 years. I suggested that the country would change dramatically, and we would no longer have clan politics dividing us --- rather the politics and language of our adoptive nations. We would have the French area, Italian, Dutch and English blocks --- our only commonality would be our colour, and we would no longer share a unified historical experience. As of this moment, I can no longer communicate with some my relatives because they speak an entirely different language, and they don’t speak Somali.

[facklexm]

Somali language have no use when it comes to science.

[-Lily-]

^^Explain pls.

 

I think it's sad. Speaking broken Somali isn't any better than speaking English or whatever language. Standard Somali needs to be thought.

 

There are huge misunderstanding between parents and children, not to mention cousins who have grown up in other parts.