Why are Somalis in the West losing the language so quickly?

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A third/fourth generation Asian American would definitely be more "whitewashed" than your average Somali with immigrant parents, but if you look at the ones who have a similar background (1st generation in Canada), on average they are more proficient in their native languages. But as I said earlier, it may be different in other countries, I'm just speaking for what I've seen here.

China wasn't built by English speaking Chinese.

We don't need your kind around here :camby:
 

VixR

Veritas
A third/fourth generation Asian American would definitely be more "whitewashed" than your average Somali with immigrant parents, but if you look at the ones who have a similar background (1st generation in Canada), on average they are more proficient in their native languages. But as I said earlier, it may be different in other countries, I'm just speaking for what I've seen here.
You have a point. It could be different in other countries.

I would think it'd be the same factors at play though. Mainly it's the nature of being an immigrant, and not utilizing the language. For all the commonality and integration of the Spanish language in the US, a crazy amount of young Spanish people can't speak it. The only differences would have to come from parental approach, or maybe living in a place that's dense with ppl from their backgrounds.
Wait can you speak Somali?
Can I not answer this
 

Leo

The Brave
Most of my siblings were born outside of the motherland and they speak Somali fluently, I guess we owe it to my parents for raising us well. I can't really speak for other kids and their upbringings.
 

Genie

The last suugo bender
i'm fluent alhamdulilah but only because it was forbidden to speak english at home so we had to communicate using somali , plus i was born and raised in Hargeisa for about 7 years in that time i was already fluent i just had to maintain it and with the help of my parents god bless them i did, therefore i agree with the argument that parents do play a critical role in this.
 

Gambar

VIP
i'm fluent alhamdulilah but only because it was forbidden to speak english at home so we had to communicate using somali , plus i was born and raised in Hargeisa for about 7 years in that time i was already fluent i just had to maintain it and with the help of my parents god bless them i did, therefore i agree with the argument that parents do play a critical role in this.
Same here it was forbidden in our house. My mom used to throw dacaas at me if I spoke in English even though she speaks English too. Also I went back home a lot too. While my mom and dad were working my ayeyo and awowe used to babysit me so I learned from them. I was forced to watch the price is right in kindergarten and translate for my ayeyo. :yloezpe:
 

Genie

The last suugo bender
Same here it was forbidden in our house. My mom used to throw dacaas at me if I spoke in English even though she speaks English too. Also I went back home a lot too. While my mom and dad were working my ayeyo and awowe used to babysit me so I learned from them. I was forced to watch the price is right in kindergarten and translate for my ayeyo. :yloezpe:

OMDSSS :cryinglaughsmiley: translating shit was stress and a half my quality of life decreased drastically when i was only 10 ! anyways yeah the punishment for speaking english was severe :gunsmiley:, i new amharic too but i couldn't maintain it we lived in addis ababa fro 6 months and in that time i was able to speak with our afar neighbours but man had no ethiopians around her so it kindda died which sucks cuz knowing what they're saying could be critical :uCkf6mf:
 

Gambar

VIP
OMDSSS :cryinglaughsmiley: translating shit was stress and a half my quality of life decreased drastically when i was only 10 ! anyways yeah the punishment for speaking english was severe :gunsmiley:, i new amharic too but i couldn't maintain it we lived in addis ababa fro 6 months and in that time i was able to speak with our afar neighbours fluently but man had no ethiopians around her so it kindda died which sucks cuz knowing what they're saying could be critical :uCkf6mf:

To this day she watches Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy and wallahi I still translate for her. :yloezpe: I learned from my ayeyo because in the summer we used to go to the park and she used to tell me stories in Somali and I would speak Somali to her.

She's still living with us alhamdulilah. She's hilarious. Whenever she would find out her favorite tv characters passed away she would be genuinely sad. Allah waan ka xuumahay kulaha. :icon lol: Ayeyo and awowe would fight over who got the right answer on jeopardy. I'd walk in on them just dying of laughter. Allah kan bal eeg waxuu kala oogyahay ma leeh. Waa laga rayn doona xabibi eeg.
 

Genie

The last suugo bender
To this day she watches Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy and wallahi I still translate for her. :yloezpe: I learned from my ayeyo because in the summer we used to go to the park and she used to tell me stories in Somali and I would speak Somali to her.

She's still living with us alhamdulilah. She's hilarious. Whenever she would find out her favorite tv characters passed away she would be genuinely sad. Allah waan ka xuumahay kulaha. :icon lol: Ayeyo and awowe would fight over who got the right answer on jeopardy. I'd walk in on them just dying of laughter. Allah kan bal eeg waxuu kala oogyahay ma leeh. Waa laga rayn doona xabibi eeg.

Thats so cute , my grandparents live in hargeisa and believe the television is the works of the devil especially cadaan stuff and cartoons, they watch the news but thats about it , my grandma and her sister own a dawaar and my grandpa has a automobile parts business going on so their kindda busy the stories they tell is too much , some inappropriate nomadic ones to my childhood mishaps its always nice to be around them although unfortunately it has been times since i last saw them.
 
man I should practise my somali but somali media is all shit. Nothing to consume but news articles back home and I don't find those relevant at all.

You guys got any good books to recommend me?
 
It's only useful to speak it with your family who should know English in the first place.

Other than that it's a useless language considering I will not live there.

My children will be learning Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Spanish or even some local Aboriginal language.
 
It's only useful to speak it with your family who should know English in the first place.

Other than that it's a useless language considering I will not live there.

My children will be learning Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Spanish or even some local Aboriginal language.

You need a podcast.

I will fund the equipment.

We can have a Playlist called: AbdiJajab, where you speak jajab somali.
 
Not sure if you're trolling or not but don't you want your kids to be able to speak with their grandparents and relatives :wtfdis:

All my family members and relatives are able speak English, as they should. There won't be a language barrier. It's not my job to save the langaab Somali language in the Western world. There is no place for it here. The much gigantic Chinese and Indians are starting to lose their language.

I find it very offensive you are pushing the Somali language on me. The Somali identity will be dying with me anyway and not going past my family generation. I'm on Somalispot as an extended farewell and to plan for the funeral. I'll tell my kids I don't know my background when they ask
 
If you want your kids to learn a language, you have to plan it out. These parents who are teaching their kids several languages have certain days they speak language A, or certain family members that will only communicate with them in language B.

I made a thread and most people said they will pass Somali on to their kids but thats a general statement that needs to be followed up with how that will be done. I think the older generation assumed the language would be passed on.
 

maestro

Cultural revolution
I am fluent but I'm 100% sure my kids and grandkids will not be speaking Somali at all.

Somali is not like Spanish or Arabic. The media of the language is super shitty and it isn't documented very well. That's why you see Lebanese/Mexican teenagers who are 5th generation speak their languages fluently while a Somali teen who's parents came to the USA in 2005 struggling with the language.
 
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