this morning i got an e-mail from a young somali woman, and she asked me, "walaalo, luuqadee baa ku hadashaa?"
of course, immediately i knew she is from the north, as someone from the south wouldn't say "walaalo"
and so, i replied to her, "dee af soomaali baa ku hadlaa, huuno!"the question reminded me of something i had written several years ago (i'm attaching below) in one of my books, and i ask you the same: what language(s) do you speak?
afdhere
p.s. here is the text from the book:
I belong to a group of Somalis who speak a language we call “Af Maxaa Tiri.” It is true that those of us who natively speak this language do look similar, and predominantly share the same faith, and have the same language, of course. In terms of our looks, for example, we are Cushitic people and therefore look similar to other Cushitic peoples in other parts of Africa such as those in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt.
It is also true that those of us of the “Af Maxaa Tiri” camp have had the privilege to dominate the cultural dialogue, both at home and at abroad. The majority of Somali entertainers, for example, are of this group. Popular Somali faces like supermodel Iman, author Nuruddin Farah, and actor Barkhad Abdi are all from this group.
It is also true that until 1991, when the government of Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted out of Mogadishu, that that camp had dominated the political spectrum as well. For example, all of the presidents in recent history have been the “Af Maxaa Tiri” people.
But we are not the only Somalis.
People will tell you that Af Maxaa Tiri and Af Maay Maay are the same language but different dialects.
That is not true.
The Waqooyi and Koonfur dialects are dialects of the same language, both belonging to the Af Maxaa Tiri, but Af Maay Maay is a different language. I can understand the Waqooyi, or northern, dialect, even though I was raised in the south and speak the Koonfur dialect.
When I listen to Somali singer Daleys sing in Af Maay Maay, which she does beautifully, I don’t understand much of it. Despite growing up just 250 kilometers, or 155 miles, away from Baidhabo, the largest city where Af Maay Maay is spoken widely, I don’t understand it.
Of course, there are also other languages like Af Tuni, Af Reer Xamar, Af Mushunguli, Af Garre, Af Barawaani, Af Baajuun, and many others and none of which I understand fully. I say “fully” because I’m a product of Mogadishu in the 1980s, and therefore I grew up around children who spoke some of these languages. I grew up in a system where once in a great while you would hear on television a song, or perhaps watch a scene, or a small break from the mainstream language.
"Nobody understands their language or their culture" That's because you're probably not a f-king southern you idiotic nigger. "Somalis is from the north and the southerners are assimilated" lol again did you just pull that shit out of your f-king ass? Show some proof if Somalis are from the north and if southerners are assimilated.