Regarding the official languages of Somalia

[James Dahl]

I find it somewhat bizarre that Somalia has, two languages (well one is relegated to the status of "dialect" but is a different language altogether) and while one has always been respected and acknowledged, the other has been ignored.

af-Maxay (or af-Somali) and af-Maay are the native tongues of Somalia, but only af-Maxay has any official recognition, and for the second official language every state or administration of Somalia has always picked some other language, be it Arabic, English or Italian.

Should not the official languages of Somalia be af-Maxay and af-Maay? Shouldn't government services be bilingual af-Maxay and af-Maay? 1/4 of the population of Somalia does not speak af-Maxay as their native tongue and indeed, a good percentage of them do not speak it at all.

[oldenglish]

Should Ebonics be the second offical language in America?

[Garbo_Gedo]

sorry, we don't converse with SLAVES.

[grandpakhalif]

sorry, we don't converse with SLAVES.

[Aristokraft]

sorry, we don't converse with SLAVES.

When did Maay people become slaves?

And where in Islam is it allowed to enslave or look down on fellow Muslims?





James,

There goes your topic. It had potential, but doesn't look like its going anywhere.

[galia]

Should not the official languages of Somalia be af-Maxay and af-Maay? Shouldn't government services be bilingual af-Maxay and af-Maay? 1/4 of the population of Somalia does not speak af-Maxay as their native tongue and indeed, a good percentage of them do not speak it at all.

Yes, Government services should be bilingual. As a af-Maxay, i want af-Maxay to be preserved because it's a part of Somali culture. Af-Maxay should be the second official language of Somalia, above arabic and english

[LobsterUnit]

I agree. Hargeysa school children should learn af may.

[Dhaga Bacayl]

I speak Qaldaan!

[gurey25]

Af -maay should be the second langauge of somalia..
The af -maay speakers deserve respect..

what about the other languages such as af tuuni, af gaare..

[marcassmith]

I find it somewhat bizarre that Somalia has, two languages (well one is relegated to the status of "dialect" but is a different language altogether) and while one has always been respected and acknowledged, the other has been ignored.

af-Maxay (or af-Somali) and af-Maay are the native tongues of Somalia, but only af-Maxay has any official recognition, and for the second official language every state or administration of Somalia has always picked some other language, be it Arabic, English or Italian.

Should not the official languages of Somalia be af-Maxay and af-Maay? Shouldn't government services be bilingual af-Maxay and af-Maay? 1/4 of the population of Somalia does not speak af-Maxay as their native tongue and indeed, a good percentage of them do not speak it at all.

The imagined homogeneity of Somalis often creates distortions. There have always been attempts to call for the uniformity insofar as Somali language and culture is concerned. Somalis are diverse people and as such the constants calls for uniformity and rigidity of Somaliness is a dangerous one, which sidelines many people. Often, resulting in discrimination against those who are seen as different who depart from the conventional and pre-conceived social norms and standards of Somaliness or who possess a different idea of what represents Somaliness.

I support the idea of recognising Af -maay as an official language but nonetheless hold the view that Somali should be the official language. Somali is widely spoken across the Horn of Africa and the wider East Africa. Af -maay is a regional language and should remain so for the timing being, unless the number of speaks spread across the Somali peninsula. It should have equal status in the areas where it’s widely spoken.