Why didn't the Somalis ever adopt the Arabic language? How did they preserve their own language?

[TheSayid]

Other people adopted Arabic because they lived in diverse areas and needed a common language while Somalis were homogeneous nomads

 

[Caraweelo]

Every group of people have their own language so why us Somalis will adopt a foreign language like arabic. We kept our somali language from one generation to another. some north african groups lost their ancient languages and they were arabized.

 

[EDsomali]

fixed your retarded post
View attachment 81329

This isn't Somali kkkk.

 

[tyrannicalmanager]

This isn't Somali kkkk.

how so? somalis used a modified arabic script before colonialism

 

[EDsomali]

how so? somalis used a modified arabic script before colonialism

No.

There were a few incidents of small scale Arabic script for Somali nothing standardised or clear cut.

The earliest written records for Somali are the 1800s.

 

[Misil]

The main reason is the lack of Arab settlements and also, to a lesser extent, the lack of urbanization among the Somalis

 

[Vanessa]

Why do arabs assume we speak fluent Arabic like it’s our first language?

 

[Faahiye]

Why do arabs assume we speak fluent Arabic like it’s our first language?

Because we are part of the arab league. They are taught we are arabs and probably think we are some sort of black arabs like Sudanese people.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

Oh wow. I didn't know that.

No, that is not correct. We have some arabic words but Somali is not even semitic language so the claim that it comes from Arabic is misinformed. Forget the Italian claim.

It is offensive in a way to make such claims.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

The main reason is the lack of Arab settlements and also, to a lesser extent, the lack of urbanization among the Somalis

Nomadic culture saved us from many disasters. We need to ditch some of its negative components and we are good to go.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

The people who were conquered by Arabs speak Arabic today, i.e. Berbers, Nubians, etc. Somalis speak Somali because they were never conquered by any one power or nation - it took four countries to chop Greater Somalia into pieces who each spoke different languages. Somalis willingly embraced Islam well before most Arabs had even converted and we had our own written language dating back to around 3000 BC - we switched to the Wadaad script around the 7th-8th century (Somali written using the Arabic alphabet similar to Farsi) until Siad Barre changed the script to Latin.

The Macallin comes through again.

 

[astorecalledkmart]

The Macallin comes through again.

 

[ZakWantsToPlay]

No Homo, we are hugging it out.

 

[ladySomal206]

Now that right there is history!!

Somalis are fierce. Period. They’ll boot anyone. Hence why we have foreign interference always in our affairs.

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

It's usually highly urbanised nations when conquered by foreign invaders that lose their native languages. Egypt is a good example, many Ethnic Egyptians(as high as 40%) only spoke Greek & lost their native language under Greek rule/Hellenisation before the Arabs came in & Arabised the Egyptians. In essence, many Ethnic Egyptians were already a lost people & were not really nationalistic after Egypt was no longer ruled by a native Pharaoh.

The only major exception in history would be Iran/Persia which was heavily urbanised, they were heavily nationalistic & resisted attempts by the Arab & other foreign(including Greeks) invaders to destroy their language/culture.

 

[Dharbash]

Somalis are fierce. Period. They’ll boot anyone. Hence why we have foreign interference always in our affairs.

Why am I being told this?

 

[Al-Burcaawi]

only time when madaxadayg and traditional somali ego saved us