Learning Somali

[nuune]

Actually MMA, you are right about the explanation of "waxa", but you can tell it the waxa was meant for Warqada since it is shey

 

 

Actually Carabiga has ground rules about this markey icraabinayaan jumlooyinka, mid kasta goonidiisa waaye, for exampla, ninka wuxuu noqonayaa ismun Mubtada' oo marfuuc ah, badanaa waxaa ku xigo khabarka oo asna marfuuc noqda laakin sometimes dib dhaca ama gadaal maro, man, I love Naxwaha

[MAXIMUS POWERS]

I think when talking about the Somali Language we need to be objective and set things in perspective. For instance we need to distinguish between colloquial Somali and formal and standard Somali. if you want to learn and understand formal and standard Somali refer to textbooks, television programmes and newspaper articles, unfortunately many of the words that so often find themselves in our daily communications are not standard Somali but rather ‘street’ ,’slang’ or colloquial Somali.

 

These days you find many people whose Somali language credential are questionable presenting their own substandard way of speaking the Somali language as the correct way to speak Somali. Many of the Somali films made in North America can’t be considered serious as they use slang in their dialogue. Also sometimes when you watch people being interviewed on Somali television (Universal) you see just how poor peoples Somali is.

 

Just because the majority of Somali people speak colloquial Somali doesn’t mean it the right way to speak Somali. Unfortunately those who are learning in Somali are learning from people who have a poor grasp of the Somali language.

 

 

- notice how she adds 'o' at the end of every sentence! if she learnt proper somali she wouldn't speak like this!

 

- So impressive, formal and standard somali. Nice poem too.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Runtaa waaye, Nuunka, oo waraaqda shay loo isticmaali karaa. Laakiin wali weerada uu qoray ee sentence ah qofka la helay ma'aha warqadda ee dhaqtarka waaye oo qof ah. The emphasize is on qofka (not waxa) la helay, oo ah dhaqtarka.

 

Koley adi Afsoomaali ma kugu gaariyee ee waa kaas xaaji.

 

Buug Afsoomaaliga grammarkiisa iyo sida loo kala qoro ku saabsan ayaa shaley library ku arkay. Very, very interesting ahaa oo maba aqrin wali. That book deals primarily about what we are discussing about now, how weeraha iyo ereyada loo kala dhigo iyo sida magacyada u kala baxaan, sida magacyada loo alifo ku haboon iyo waxyaabo badan. Twenty years of research buug ku saabsan waaye oo la daabacay 1999 u maleynaa.

[Lt-Qalbi-Adeyg]

Originally posted by -MARX-:

I think when talking about the Somali Language we need to be objective and set things in perspective. For instance we need to distinguish between colloquial Somali and formal and standard Somali. if you want to learn and understand formal and standard Somali refer to textbooks, television programmes and newspaper articles, unfortunately many of the words that so often find themselves in our daily communications are not standard Somali but rather ‘street’ ,’slang’ or colloquial Somali.

 

These days you find many people whose Somali language credential are questionable presenting their own substandard way of speaking the Somali language as the correct way to speak Somali. Many of the Somali films made in North America can’t be considered serious as they use slang in their dialogue. Also sometimes when you watch people being interviewed on Somali television (Universal) you see just how poor peoples Somali is.

 

Just because the majority of Somali people speak colloquial Somali doesn’t mean it the right way to speak Somali. Unfortunately those who are learning in Somali are learning from people who have a poor grasp of the Somali language.

- notice how she adds 'o' at the end of every sentence! if she learnt proper somali she wouldn't speak like this!

Qof oo weligiis somali qorin , oo oday cadaan ah cabuudo muxuu somali sax ah ka yaqaan?

[Sherban Shabeel]

The problem is the book is full of confusing grammar-slang. For example the relative clauses:

 

"Case 1: Relative clause subject of sentence and head noun subject of relative clause

 

-- reduced agreements but verb forms as in main clause, reduced paradigm (subject)

 

Case 2: Relative clause subject of sentence, head noun not subject of relative clause

 

-- as main clause verb forms

 

Case 3: RC not subject of sentence, HN subject of relative clause

 

-- reduced verb forms just like when the subject is focused in a normal sentence (absolutive)

 

Case 4: RC not subject of sentence, HN not subject of relative clause

 

-- present tense same as main clause negative verbs; otherwise like main clause verbs

 

"

 

Well it's a table in the book, but this is the kind of language the explanations are often written in. Needless to say, my brain almost exploded after reading the relative clauses explanation.

[Sherban Shabeel]

So let me try giving the 4 sentences a crack using the grammatical rules in the book:

 

1. The letter the man wrote is long.

 

So this would be a sentence in which the relative clause + head noun ("The letter the man wrote") is the subject of the phrase, and the head noun ("the letter") is not the subject of the RC. So Case 2 and the verbs should be the same as in a main clause. So:

 

Warqadda ninka akhriyay waa dheer yahay (or dheeryay).

 

 

2. The doctor wrote the letter the man read.

 

Case 4, so simple past verbs are the same as for a main clause. So:

 

Dhakhtarku wuxuu qoray warqadda ninka akhriyay.

 

 

3. The man who read the letter is dead.

 

Case 1, I really don't understand the rule here, except that the subject is not supposed to take the usual -u ending. But here goes anyway:

 

Ninka warqadda akhriyay waa dhimaad.

 

 

4. The man found the doctor who wrote the letter.

 

Case 3. I think all the verbs are supposed to have reduced endings, but again I'm not sure I understand the rules. Here goes:

 

Ninku wuxuu helay dhakhtarka warqadda qoray.

[Sherban Shabeel]

lol it's really confusing when you think according to rules

[Paragon]

"Ninka warqadda akhriyay waa dhimaad."

 

That's a bit harsh, innit?

[Sherban Shabeel]

Originally posted by Paragon:

"Ninka warqadda akhriyay waa dhimaad."

 

That's a bit harsh, innit?

hehehe I didn't really know how to say "dead"

[Paragon]

Ninka warqadda akhriyay wuu 'dhintey'

 

Dhimaad means a retard. An old word no so much n use these days.

[Sherban Shabeel]

oops lol the joke's on me

[Paragon]

Lol. Shabeel saaxiib, i'll advise you not to pay so much attention to rules. Go with it as it comes, I'll say. Somali learning usually depends on the company you keep. I am actually impressed by your grasp of Somali considering the fact that you've started learning just a year ago.

 

Marvelous.

[Aaliyyah]

I think you said in one of your posts that you are Romanian. Am just wondering why you are fascinated and so keen to learn Somali? not that you are not entitled, everyone is free to learn whatever language they feel like learning. I am just wondering what made you learn it? how did your interest in somali start? do you live in a neighborhood that has large somali community?

 

salaam

[Poker]

Originally posted by Gheelle.T:

^Aqriye=Akhriyay?

 

I was just wondering the same.

 

MMA,

 

Saaxiib af soomaaliga waa taqaana laakiin AQRIYE ma waxaad uga jeedaa AKHRIYAY or AQRIYAY?

 

Akhriyay or aqriyay (depending on your accent) is a past tense of AKHRi or AQRI

 

AKHRIYE or AQRIYE means reader...I could be wrong

[Aaliyyah]

wrong thread