Somali language

Somali language is spoken mostly in Somalia, some small minorities being in Finland and Russia. Grammatical categories of Somali language are:\n*Noun\n*Pronoun\n*Verb\n*Adjective\n*Preposition\n*Determiner\n*Focus word\n*Classifier\n*And finally Conjunction As you may notice here, the Somali has some grammatical \ncategories which are not found in many other languages including \nEnglish, French, Arabic, etc., for example focus word or the \nfocalization phenomenon which concerns those elements in the formation \nof the sentence which tell us where the intention or the interest or the \nfocus is located in the phrase. The words baa, ayaa, and waxaa put the focus on nouns and noun phrases.\nExample:\n#John baa baxay - \nJohn Focus(baa) went out\n#John ayaa baxay - \nJohn Focus(ayaa) went out\n#Waxaa baxay John - \nFocus(waxaa) went out John Thus, the words baa, ayaa, and waxaa make think about, \nunknowingly, who went out? Therefore the noun.\nWe have also in Somali language the word waa which puts the \nfocus on verbs and verb phrases. Example: John waa baxay\nJohn Focus(waa) went out Waa is different from other previous one we have just seen, because it \nmakes you think about: what did John do? Therefore the verb.\n \nSomali language is not a complicated and brain-burning language \nas many people including Somalis are convinced, but the fact is very \nlittle has been done about its grammar. Nevertheless, some books of Somali language are: 1) Somali Reference Grammar. Written by John Ibrahim Saeed\nAnd if you can read Italian:\n2) Studi Somali 5: Aspetti morfologici, lessicali e della \nfocalizzazione. A cura di A.Puglielli.\n3) Studi Somali 2: Sintassi della lingua somala. A cura di A. \nPuglielli.\nIf you don’t read Italian, don’t worry that its not a big deal. The \nfirst book might be able to cover your needs.

External link

\n*Somali - English Dictionary \n Category:Cushitic languages