Regional accents/dialects in the Somali peninsula

[Killua]

Am i the only who struggles to understand Somali spoken in a region far from your own?

I, and many people from Somaliland struggle to understand Somali when someone from other regions speak it. I have to listen in closely to understand what they are saying.

 

[Tukraq]

Am i the only who struggles to understand Somali spoken in a region far from your own?

I, and many people from Somaliland struggle to understand Somali when someone from other regions speak it. I have to listen in closely to understand what they are saying.

Yeah your probably the only one, are you slow or something, unless you mean maymay, the rest are easy to understand

 

[Ayubi]

I don't know about you but I could understand any Somali dialect except Af maay. It's like an American who says he doesn't understand British or Australian English. Your probably trolling or something.

 

[Killua]

I don't know about you but I could understand any Somali dialect except Af maay. It's like an American who says he doesn't understand British or Australian English. Your probably trolling or something.

No wallahi, its legit difficult for many Slanders to understand and even differentiate between othe regional accents and what they are saying.

Its just my observation, you dont have to agree with me and im not trolling.

 

[Killua]

Yeah your probably the only one, are you slow or something, unless you mean maymay, the rest are easy to understand

hmm, i guess its easier for southerners to understand other southerners as opposed to someone from waqooy understading you lot innit.

Maybe is because im not in an environment where im exposed to Somalis from other regions regularly

 

[Apollo]

Your Somali must suck.

Even though my Somali is mediocre, I can understand all Somali accents just fine.

To give an example: there's way more divergence between German regional accents than between Somali regional accents (I speak both languages).

 

[Killua]

Your Somali must suck.

Even though my Somali is mediocre, I can understand all Somali accents just fine.

To give an example: there's way more divergence between German regional accents than between Somali regional accents (I speak both languages).

Yeh, im starting to think its a common theme for people from my specific region.

 

[Farjano-Walad]

Yeah your probably the only one, are you slow or something, unless you mean maymay, the rest are easy to understand

maybe he is Isaaq,

 

[Molotoff]

Your Somali must suck.

Even though my Somali is mediocre, I can understand all Somali accents just fine.

To give an example: there's way more divergence between German regional accents than between Somali regional accents (I speak both languages).

I didn't know you were reer Deutschland?

 

[Louis Vuitton Don]

Yeh, im starting to think its a common theme for people from my specific region.

Stop trying to be unique. All Somalis can understand each other. A person from Xamar, bari, and Hargeisa understand each other perfectly.

 

[Shibbane]

I can understand all Somalis perfectly; even a good % of afmaay.

If you ignore the accent and pay attention to the words then you should be ok.

Is it possible northerners think highly of themselves and think their Somali is the best and maybe, just maybe, that makes them uninterested in other Somalis? Just asking.

 

[Macalin M]

Ermm how do I put this? I believe... your Somali may be trash.

 

[VantaBlack]

I speak with a Mudug Somali accent and understand all regions and dialects just fine.

Some of the most divergent accents are up north or in the Banaadir region. In my opinion Mudug accent is the purest form of the language understood easily by all.

 

[TheAnswer]

I speak with a mudug accent, which is standard Somali.

I can understand southern accents just fine except for reer xamar cad cads.
Southern accents sound more friendly and outgoing, while mudug sounds formal and grave. Surprisingly, a lot of southerners cannot distinguish between mudug and waqoyi accents and I'm constantly asked if i am from Djibouti or Somaliland. These two accents share some similarities but are also evidently different.

Waqoyi accents sound good and clear if spoken by an educated or middle class person, but can turn into something incomprehensible and hostile sounding otherwise. Also, despite speaking excellent Somali, I struggle to understand a waqoyi accent through the phone if the speaker is excited and talks quickly.

 

[Killua]

Waqooyi accent accent is the standard Somali and the purest form of the language. The rest have too many Italian and Bantu loanwords.

I can't tell the difference between a mudug Bari and Mlgadishu accents wallahi. All koonfurians have a similar dialect

 

[Younes Osman]

hmm, i guess its easier for southerners to understand other southerners as opposed to someone from waqooy understading you lot innit.

Maybe is because im not in an environment where im exposed to Somalis from other regions regularly

True, I remember one time when I use to go to weekend religious school some kid from xamar called a football boloney whilst Reer somaliland and djbouti called it koobbed. Anyway, I discovered that somaliland and djbouti have the same or simlar accents.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

I can understand all Somalis perfectly; even a good % of afmaay.

If you ignore the accent and pay attention to the words then you should be ok.

Is it possible northerners think highly of themselves and think their Somali is the best and maybe, just maybe, that makes them uninterested in other Somalis? Just asking.

Goes both ways saxib and southerners call people from the North "Qaldaan" because of their spoken somali. If a kid from Northern Somalia moved into our neighbourhood, we immidiately attached the word "Qaldaan" to their name and Omar would become Omar Qaldaan.

Northerners have an inflated ego about themselves. To a southerner, that is just proof of them being uncivilized(Acrabis) and non-cosmopolitan. We saw them as Badaw and barbaric. So both communities have their own view of the other.

 

[Macalin M]

This guy just wants people to say that the northern dialect is the purest. Kkkkkkkkk

 

[Younes Osman]

I speak with a mudug accent, which is standard Somali.

I can understand southern accents just fine except for reer xamar cad cads.
Southern accents sound more friendly and outgoing, while mudug sounds formal and grave. Surprisingly, a lot of southerners cannot distinguish between mudug and waqoyi accents and I'm constantly asked if i am from Djibouti or Somaliland. These two accents share some similarities but are also evidently different.

Waqoyi accents sound good and clear if spoken by an educated or middle class person, but can turn into something incomprehensible and hostile sounding otherwise. Also, despite speaking excellent Somali, I struggle to understand a waqoyi accent through the phone if the speaker is excited and talks quickly.

Professor Ahmed Ismail samatar speaks good sl dialect and educated it's not like toogs on the roads in burco.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

This guy just wants people to say that the northern dialect is the purest. Kkkkkkkkk

Their somali is close to the standard for sure but is not the purest form. Look at this sentence:

- Maxaad tiri?
- Maxaad tidhi?
- Maxaad dhahday?
- Xaad tiri?


They are all the same and every somali should understand when someone asks that question. I don't know if someone from Northern Somalia can claim they can't understand that question in all its forms.

Somali is really somali no matter where a somali goes to.