14th century source on the Somali Language

[Step a side]

Arabic is often called "the language of ḍād", referring to the letter ض , difficult for non-Arabs to pronounce. Somalis, when borrowing words from the Arabic language, change the ض Dād sound to Lām ل

Raali راضي (Pleased)
Lid ضد (Opposite)
Arlo ارض (Earth)

The famous scholar Ibn Al Jazari (d. 1429) wrote about this 600 years ago, he said in his book التمهيد في علن التجويد:"ومنهم من يخرجها لاماً مفخمة ، وهم الزيالع ومن ضاهاهم."Among them are those who pronounce it as a velarized Lām, They are the Zaylaci (Somalis) and those like them. "

@Idilinaa @Zak12

 

[Riftvalley]

I get that premise but are we a hundred certain those words came from Arabic.

We have Ali and Arlo. We also have Ardaa.

I am also not sure about Raali.

 

[Xareen]

how are people still questioning whether zayla'is are Somali even still.

 

[Abu Hesi]

Arabic is often called "the language of ḍād", referring to the letter ض , difficult for non-Arabs to pronounce. Somalis, when borrowing words from the Arabic language, change the ض Dād sound to Lām ل

Raali راضي (Pleased)
Lid ضد (Opposite)
Arlo ارض (Earth)

The famous scholar Ibn Al Jazari (d. 1429) wrote about this 600 years ago, he said in his book التمهيد في علن التجويد:"ومنهم من يخرجها لاماً مفخمة ، وهم الزيالع ومن ضاهاهم."Among them are those who pronounce it as a velarized Lām, They are the Zaylaci (Somalis) and those like them. "

View attachment 365173@Idilinaa @Zak12

You can read and write Arabic?

 

[Idilinaa]

I get that premise but are we a hundred certain those words came from Arabic.

We have Ali and Arlo. We also have Ardaa.

I am also not sure about Raali.

It is explaining how they pronounce Arabic letters phonetically in their language. The pronunciation of the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād) and that ''Zayla'i (Somalis) pronounce it incorrectly as an emphatic "L" (Lām) sound instead.

Because the Somali language lacks the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād), to put it simply it does not have an exact equivalent sound for ض in its native phonology. As they often substitute it with sounds that exist in Somali, especially "D", "Dh", or "L",

 

[Step a side]

You can read and write Arabic?

Yeah but not super fluent.

 

[Maakhri2024]

It is explaining how they pronounce Arabic letters phonetically in their language. The pronunciation of the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād) and that ''Zayla'i (Somalis) pronounce it incorrectly as an emphatic "L" (Lām) sound instead.

Because the Somali language lacks the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād), to put it simply it does not have an exact equivalent sound for ض in its native phonology. As they often substitute it with sounds that exist in Somali, especially "D", "Dh", or "L",

The letter "Ḍ ض" appears in Somali. However, its use is relatively rare.

There is no special letter representing "ḍ ض" in the Somali alphabet, instead the letter "d" is used.

the Somali word Daad ( pronounced : Ḍaad ( ضاد ) means: flood .
Nin daad qaaday xumbo cuskay .
the Somali word Dad ( pronounced : Ḍad ( ضَد ) means: people .
the Somali word Dab ( pronounced : Ḍab ( ضَبْ ) means: fire .

q ⟷ L /ḍ/d/t/ṣ/s/sh/c " ع"/ m/n/b/th .
arq → arla/arda/arat/arḍa/erṣ/arca/earth/erde .

Imperial Aramaic: 𐡀𐡓𐡒 (ʾrq أرق ),
Biblical Aramaic: ארק (ʾrq أرق ) ,
Hebrew אֶרֶץ (éres),
Aramaic אַרְעָא ( ʔarʕā أرعا ),
Syriac ܐܪܥܐ ( ʔarʕā أرعا ) .

q → ḍ ( ض ) / h / g / d / t ,
m / L ⟷ d / t / s / sh ,

qaad → daad ( ḍaad ) → in Arabic sayl ( سَيْل ) .
qawm ( قوم ) ⟷ qolo ( قلو ) → dad ( ḍad ضَد ) .
qawm ( قوم ) ⟷ qolo ( قلو ) → עַם ( cam عم ) / עמא ( cama عما) .

in Hebrew עַם ( cam عم ) means : people .
in Somali dad ( dad ضَد ) means : people .
in Arabic qawm ( قوم ) means : people .
in Aramaic עמא ( cama عما) means : people .
in Aramaic עמא ( cama عما) means : people .
Old English guma (“man”)
in English human .
in Latin homō (“human being”) .

 

[Riftvalley]

The letter "Ḍ ض" appears in Somali. However, its use is relatively rare.

There is no special letter representing "ḍ ض" in the Somali alphabet, instead the letter "d" is used.

the Somali word Daad ( pronounced : Ḍaad ( ضاد ) means: flood .
Nin daad qaaday xumbo cuskay .
the Somali word Dad ( pronounced : Ḍad ( ضَد ) means: people .
the Somali word Dab ( pronounced : Ḍab ( ضَبْ ) means: fire .

q ⟷ L /ḍ/d/t/ṣ/s/sh/c " ع"/ m/n/b/th .
arq → arla/arda/arat/arḍa/erṣ/arca/earth/erde .



q → ḍ ( ض ) / h / g / d / t ,
m / L ⟷ d / t / s / sh ,

qaad → daad ( ḍaad ) → in Arabic sayl ( سَيْل ) .
qawm ( قوم ) ⟷ qolo ( قلو ) → dad ( ḍad ضَد ) .
qawm ( قوم ) ⟷ qolo ( قلو ) → עַם ( cam عم ) / עמא ( cama عما) .

in Hebrew עַם ( cam عم ) means : people .
in Somali dad ( dad ضَد ) means : people .
in Arabic qawm ( قوم ) means : people .
in Aramaic עמא ( cama عما) means : people .
in Aramaic עמא ( cama عما) means : people .
Old English guma (“man”)
in English human .
in Latin homō (“human being”) .

Those Somali words you listed don’t have the exact same articulation point as the Arab letter being discussed. Just take a listen to a Somali who hasn’t studied Tajweed makhraj xuruf (articulation points of the letters) and you will hear them struggle to recite ض correctly. The word daad in Somalia is articulated from a slightly lower point.

 

[Saleh]

how are people still questioning whether zayla'is are Somali even still.

Not to sound like a cringe nationalist but theres a clear agenda against somalis in academia. Up until recently stone ruins found in a place as remote as sanaag would be credited to semitic speaking harla groups kkkkk

 

[Idilinaa]

Those Somali words you listed don’t have the exact same articulation point as the Arab letter being discussed. Just take a listen to a Somali who hasn’t studied Tajweed makhraj xuruf (articulation points of the letters) and you will hear them struggle to recite ض correctly. The word daad in Somalia is articulated from a slightly lower point.

The Somali word for flood, which is "daad", is pronounced with a plain "d", not the emphatic "ḍ" (ض) of Arabic.

He pops up randomly and freestyles linguistics and etymology in every thread.

So he spits out pseudo-linguistics and folk etymology on purpose. There’s no point in approaching him with sincerity.

He connects Somali "dad" with Arabic "qawm" --> Aramaic --> Hebrew -->Latin “homo” --> English “human”

These languages aren’t directly related, and this whole chain ignores sound laws, historical context, and linguistic evolution. It’s not etymology being discussed here, but phonology how sounds are physically produced and substituted across languages.

It’s the same reason Somalis say "baasto" instead of "pasta" our language’s phonology doesn’t allow for certain consonant clusters or sounds, so we approximate them.

 

[Idilinaa]

Not to sound like a cringe nationalist but theres a clear agenda against somalis in academia. Up until recently stone ruins found in a place as remote as sanaag would be credited to semitic speaking harla groups kkkkk

As far as I’m aware, there are no real traditions linking the Harla to ruins in Sanaag or the broader northern Somali regions. Those ruins are usually attributed locally to saints, sheikhs, or legendary figures like Tiri, not Harla. It’s in the Ogaden region where we more commonly see claims tying ruins to the Harla

I’ve gone over this in another thread a lot of it is invented historical mythology.

The ruins commonly attributed to the so-called 'Harla civilization' extend deep into Northern Somalia and other Somali-inhabited territories, including the Ogaden. These structures share identical architectural styles and construction techniques, which suggests that they were not built by some distinct, extinct group but rather by the same communities that have continuously inhabited these areas for centuries.

The burial sites found within these ruins further west also match the traditional rectangular Somali grave style, further reinforcing their connection to the Somali people.

Additionally, studies have observed that roof-making and construction techniques used in these ancient sites persist to this day in Ogaden, demonstrating a clear continuity of Somali architectural practices rather than an isolated historical phenomenon.

The idea of a separate 'Harla civilization' is an Oromo-invented mythology, later appropriated into local traditions. The Oromo expansions into the Harla Kombe region situated between the Awash and Upper Shabelle rivers resulted in them applying the 'Harla' label to various pre-existing sites, regardless of whether they had any historical or cultural ties to them. Over time, this myth blended with Taalo Tiriyaad traditions, which attribute ruins to pre-Islamic giants, further distorting historical reality.


In truth, the Harla were simply an agro-pastoral Somali clan, one among many, documented to have lived near the Awash River Basin and in the areas between Dire Dawa and Harar. Some remnants of these communities still persist today, but they have been subjected to historical mythologization and modern identity politics. Rather than being an extinct civilization, they were part of the broader Somali historical landscape.


Urban expansion in Somali history has always been either a state-driven enterprise or an organic merchant-led endeavor, with clear textual and documentary evidence outlining the process. The Futuh Al-Habasha Chronicle, for example, meticulously details the development of urban centers, leaving no room for the notion that such efforts were the work of some mysterious 'Harla' group.

The push to appropriate Somali history under the label of 'Harla' is a modern political project, rather than a conclusion based on genuine historical evidence. The Ethiopian government's narrative, which tries to claim the Harla as 'indigenous to Ethiopia' with a supposed 'Ethiopian identity' centuries before such an identity even existed, is just another example of state-sponsored historical revisionism.


Ultimately, the 'Harla civilization' is a myth, built on misinterpretations, identity politics, and deliberate distortions of Somali history.

We actually have historical sources mentioning the Harla, and they clearly show that the Harla did not inhabit Harar or the areas commonly associated with those ruins. They were a regular agro-pastoral Somali Darood clan, living between the upper Shabelle and Hawash rivers which is also where small remnant communities still exist today.

They didn’t go extinct. They were just turned into a mythological catch-all by later writers and colonial scholars.

And there’s no need to speculate , the Futuh al-Habasha directly lays out who were involved in building and administering towns in newly conquered territories, and Harla are never mentioned in that context. That alone says a lot.

 

[Saleh]

As far as I’m aware, there are no real traditions linking the Harla to ruins in Sanaag or the broader northern Somali regions. Those ruins are usually attributed locally to saints, sheikhs, or legendary figures like Tiri, not Harla. It’s in the Ogaden region where we more commonly see claims tying ruins to the Harla

I’ve gone over this in another thread a lot of it is invented historical mythology.


We actually have historical sources mentioning the Harla, and they clearly show that the Harla did not inhabit Harar or the areas commonly associated with those ruins. They were a regular agro-pastoral Somali Darood clan, living between the upper Shabelle and Hawash rivers which is also where small remnant communities still exist today.

They didn’t go extinct. They were just turned into a mythological catch-all by later writers and colonial scholars.

And there’s no need to speculate , the Futuh al-Habasha directly lays out who were involved in building and administering towns in newly conquered territories, and Harla are never mentioned in that context. That alone says a lot.

I just used sanaag as an example but in places like awdal for example the ruins of abasa were credited to an oromo queen named kola up until quite recently based on an account from richard burton in 1855. The fault is on lazy archeologists and somalis who dont care about their own history

 

[Idilinaa]

I just used sanaag as an example but in places like awdal for example the ruins of abasa were credited to an oromo queen named kola up until quite recently based on an account from richard burton in 1855. The fault is on lazy archeologists and somalis who dont care about their own history

Funny thing is, the city of Abasa is actually mentioned by a late medieval Portuguese writer, who described it as an administrative center or base capital for the Sultanate. So the idea that some pagan Oromo queen named Kola ruled it is pure fiction obviously made up by Richard Burton, who often spewed a-historical nonsense, like claiming Somalis were the offspring of Arabs who mixed with Oromo.

I think it’s more complex than just being “lazy” or not caring about Somali history , as I explained here:

What Led to the Loss of Somali Historical Narratives?

Several factors contributed to the gap in publicly available Somali history and the spread of misinformation and pseudo-history:

1. The dominance of European languages – English and other Western languages became the gatekeepers of historical narratives, sidelining Somali and Arabic sources.
2. Colonial distortions and Political agendas – Europeans had political and ideological motives to misrepresent Somali history. Many historical accounts are shaped by political agendas and identity that seek to distort Somalia’s past to conform to contemporary politics. Other times they seek to distort it conform to Ethiopian expanionist narratives.
3. Displacement and dispossession – Many Somali scholars lost institutional backing due to war and instability. Some were forced into exile, while others had to abandon their historical work for survival and had to take up new career paths.
4. Western-educated Somali elites – Many do a disservice to Somali historical scholarship. Instead of correcting distortions, they either push political agendas or seek Western validation, avoiding confrontations with false narratives.

Even Said Shidad has spoken about this in his lectures, specifically during his presentation on the Nugaal ruins.

At the end of the day, Somalis have always written their own history. The challenge now is bridging the language gap and pushing back against misinformation to ensure that Somali historical narratives are properly represented in discourse.

Full post i made:

Zayli grave in mecca from the 9th century

Becuase when you hear the word empire I imagined they controlled a large portion of Ethiopia then invaded yemen. Bu if you look at thr map it becomes clear how close the section of yemem they invaded and controlled is. The thing that misled and confused me was Mani supposedly touting Aksum as...

www.somalispot.com

 

[reer]

It is explaining how they pronounce Arabic letters phonetically in their language. The pronunciation of the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād) and that ''Zayla'i (Somalis) pronounce it incorrectly as an emphatic "L" (Lām) sound instead.

Because the Somali language lacks the Arabic letter "ض" (Ḍād), to put it simply it does not have an exact equivalent sound for ض in its native phonology. As they often substitute it with sounds that exist in Somali, especially "D", "Dh", or "L",

examples of arabic ض being pronounced as L or D in somali.

ضروري = daruuri https://qaamuus.net/jawaabta/?raadi=daruuri
ضربة = darbo https://qaamuus.net/jawaabta/?raadi=darbo
ضِد = lid https://qaamuus.net/jawaabta/?raadi=lid "Mugdiga ayaa caddada lid ku ah" “Cali ayaa lid ku ah Cabdi”
أرض = arli https://qaamuus.net/jawaabta/?raadi=arli

 

[Garaannabad]

@Idilinaa do you study languages/linguistics? I honestly found your informations to be interesting.

pseudo-linguistics and folk etymology.

These languages aren’t directly related, and this whole chain ignores sound laws, historical context, and linguistic evolution. It’s not etymology being discussed here, but phonology how sounds are physically produced and substituted across languages.

It’s the same reason Somalis say "baasto" instead of "pasta" our language’s phonology doesn’t allow for certain consonant clusters or sounds, so we approximate them.