And how?
Do you think mastering the Somali language is important to understanding and enjoying the Somali culture?
- Thread starter NordicSomali
- Start date
Ahmed Ato
Self-interest
of course. how else can you listen to Hees or read gabay.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content.
Log in or register now.
without a doubt. There is no culture without the language. No matter how much canjeelo you eat or how much dhaanto you do. You can’t be a bonafide Somali if you can’t speak it.
When I was in laascaanood my awoowe would test me on some and it was embarrassing how little I knew. Some of these maahmaah’s were so poetic and thoughtful too that it takes away from the whole myth that Somalis are low IQ lol.
They’re so in depth and require a lot of thinking to really understand its meaning and even interpretations. Which there are many of.
Gabays, maahmaah and just overall somali oral traditions are not generally used with modern day Somali and it uses basically a whole different set of vocabulary with the same grammar.
When I was in laascaanood my awoowe would test me on some and it was embarrassing how little I knew. Some of these maahmaah’s were so poetic and thoughtful too that it takes away from the whole myth that Somalis are low IQ lol.
They’re so in depth and require a lot of thinking to really understand its meaning and even interpretations. Which there are many of.
Ahmed Ato
Self-interest
Maahmaah is way different from hees and gabay. Gabays and hees just use advanced words.
Language is key to the culture, so if someone wants to understand culture, you have to learn the language.
If you guys struggle with a good tip I have is read somali books and articles written in somali. Make sure to read out loud. This helps a lot.
Listen to somali videos and try to pick up the words. Get a somali dictionary to help yourself too.
The most important thing is however to start speaking somali more. Over time it will become easier and the words come out naturally.
If you guys struggle with a good tip I have is read somali books and articles written in somali. Make sure to read out loud. This helps a lot.
Listen to somali videos and try to pick up the words. Get a somali dictionary to help yourself too.
The most important thing is however to start speaking somali more. Over time it will become easier and the words come out naturally.
Somali culture is embedded within the language, there is no Somalinimo without knowing the language.
Language is like a 16 ton truck that carries with it everything you mentioned.
Give yourself a reasonable time-frame within which to master the language, say 5 years.
Have a plan for the 5 years e.g.
-spend every summer holiday with your grandparents and other relatives back home
-speak Somali to your parents and other Somalis, don't mind people laughing at your word choice and accent when you start, just keep going, it gets better
-read lots of books on the language, history, and culture
-read and listen IN SOMALI to Somali news websites
-go to Somali events where you meet people with similar interests e.g. go to that Fartuun Birimo concert and hang out with other folks
-go to the local fadhikudirir and take the piss out of some old man's clan IN SOMALI
Bottom-line? Put in the hours and reap the rewards.
Give yourself a reasonable time-frame within which to master the language, say 5 years.
Have a plan for the 5 years e.g.
-spend every summer holiday with your grandparents and other relatives back home
-speak Somali to your parents and other Somalis, don't mind people laughing at your word choice and accent when you start, just keep going, it gets better
-read lots of books on the language, history, and culture
-read and listen IN SOMALI to Somali news websites
-go to Somali events where you meet people with similar interests e.g. go to that Fartuun Birimo concert and hang out with other folks
-go to the local fadhikudirir and take the piss out of some old man's clan IN SOMALI
Bottom-line? Put in the hours and reap the rewards.
Last edited:
I learned the language quite fast within 8 months.
I started reading news articles like Hiraan, watching Astaan TV, listening to Somali music and reading my dads somali novels.
i studies somalis and their language and i found an oustanding disparity that explained a lot about somalis to me. their language is exceptional both in depth and weight, it is so strong that it actually occupies a huge part of their brains leaving little to the other qualities of the brain the unspoken part that covers perception. rational and physical creativity, coordination and restraint, hence causing a great imbalanse resulting in the apparent instability observed amomgst somalis
