In defense of using the Arabic script for Somali

[ZBR]

Arabic script is used in Urdu and Farsi to accommodate the extremely poor classes who might find the time or only free teachers who teach religious classes when they’re sub 7 years old that teach Arabic

Having to learn two scripts puts a barrier through wealth , patience to learn a second script, or even sheer interest at the right age and even if they’re learned also the lack of refinement or completeness in their reading in both compeating scripts creates a weakness in their capacity in reading, understanding and producing

Latin script was originally used as a pipeline from the Latin /Catholic Church education, Russian Crylic was for the Orthodox Church ,and the Geez script and language is the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox

I feel sad looking at our TikTok addled society that has very slim interests in reading outside of religious students we need ameliorate this fast

 

[ZBR]

Also it would give us more access and eyes to learn our pre-European interaction heritage that’s both in Somali scripted in Arabic and Arabic

 

[ZBR]

Is using the Latin script for Somalis subservient or just cultural exchange?

 

[novanova]

tbh I’d rather we just stick to latin script or create our own (or use osmanya )..

 

[Espaa_]

We should just create our own tbh. No osmanya no nothing just a fresh script.

to do that, you need government funding and planning :/

 

[Garaannabad]

tbh I’d rather we just stick to latin script or create our own (or use osmanya )..

The osmanya is the best option in my believes.

 

[Barkhadle1520]

tbh I’d rather we just stick to latin script or create our own (or use osmanya )..

Both latin and osmanya are horrible for af somali, historically weve written in arabic and spoken it

 

[Zak12]

Both latin and osmanya are horrible for af somali, historically weve written in arabic and spoken it

I don't really like the look of double vowels in Somali, I wish they added diacritics to get rid of them. Otherwise yes Arabic was what Somalis wrote in for over a thousand years. It looks way more aesthetic too

 

[Barkhadle1520]

I don't really like the look of double vowels in Somali, I wish they added diacritics to get rid of them. Otherwise yes Arabic was what Somalis wrote in for over a thousand years. It looks way more aesthetic too

It would also make learning arabic and islam easier

 

[Garaannabad]

We should just create our own tbh. No osmanya no nothing just a fresh script.

to do that, you need government funding and planning :/

We should just create our own tbh. No osmanya no nothing just a fresh script.

to do that, you need government funding and planning :/

No need to burden with that. I believe, innovation in such cases are the start of ruination. too much of updates is the way to go downfall.

 

[cunug3aad]

My issue with using the arabic script is that we would be dependant on using harakaat beyond the most basic interactions, for example off top of my head بر could mean metal "bir" or flour "bur". Writing harakaat in casual context quickly becomes very tiring and clogs your lines. Also ways to represent the e and o and their double vowels would be needed

I advocate for a modified osmanya where extra letters are used to represent the long vowels rather than the y and w acting as substitutes. I said i was gonna do it a month ago but i been lazy. man needs to learn proper somali first

 

[cunug3aad]

Obviously learning arabic helps with learning the diin as well, so fusha arabic should be a second language in schools, then any future scholars can continue where they left off or future tiktok boys forget it all and learn english instead

 

[Medeea]

Yeah, Somali written in Arabic script is slightly quicker to read/write and feels more “natural” than Latin. Which makes sense since both are Afro-Asiatic languages. Still, it’s way too slow for my liking. Like there is something’s missing and I don’t think that something will be fulfilled without a native script.


Siad Barre should’ve picked and developed Osmanya or Borama. The latter looks very promising

 

[novanova]

It would also make learning arabic and islam easier

People keep saying this but the average arab knows little about islam.

 

[novanova]

Obviously learning arabic helps with learning the diin as well, so fusha arabic should be a second language in schools, then any future scholars can continue where they left off or future tiktok boys forget it all and learn english instead

I don’t think arabic should be taught as a second language

I dont think it’ll benefit the average person as far as religion goes unless ur a shaykh/scholar. The historian will benefit from learning arabic as much of our history is recorded in arabic but other than that arabic will not benefit the everyday somali

I’d even go as far as to say that having a population be fluent in arabic would cause more issues in Somalia, the arab world is riddled with ideas, values, norms, worldviews, political movements etc. that are alien to us and knowing arabic would by default introduce new issues to our society..

As more somalis back home are learning english that society will inherit some of the issues in the english speaking world.. we are already witnessing it online

 

[Barkhadle1520]

People keep saying this but the average arab knows little about islam.

 

[Neptune]

Is using the Latin script for Somalis subservient or just cultural exchange?

Obviously the latter, half the world uses a Latin script. There were people in Somalia that didn't want to use it for different reasons, but with Kacaan, practicality was more important.

 

[novanova]

Cabsi cabsi

 

[Barkhadle1520]

Obviously the latter, half the world uses a Latin script. There were people in Somalia that didn't want to use it for different reasons, but with Kacaan, practicality was more important.

Latin is the least practical script lmao, somalis wanted arabic as a script since the italians

 

[Garaannabad]

Learn

I don’t think arabic should be taught as a second language

I dont think it’ll benefit the average person as far as religion goes unless ur a shaykh/scholar. The historian will benefit from learning arabic as much of our history is recorded in arabic but other than that arabic will not benefit the everyday somali

I’d even go as far as to say that having a population be fluent in arabic would cause more issues in Somalia, the arab world is riddled with ideas, values, norms, worldviews, political movements etc. that are alien to us and knowing arabic would by default introduce new issues to our society..

As more somalis back home are learning english that society will inherit some of the issues in the english speaking world.. we are already witnessing it online

Learning foreign languages is beneficial and valuable. And Somalis are known to love that. Just don't placed above your native language.