Saturday 29 December 2007

Qorista af Soomaaliga: Falcelis

Dhowr cisho ka hor waxa degelkan ku soo baxay qormo aan ku eegayey dood qiime leh oo uu soo bandhigay qoraha Soomaaliyeed ee Ibraahin Yuusuf Axmed (Hawd). Ibrahhim waxa dooddiisa lagu soo saaray mareegta redsea-online.com.
Ibraahin wuu soo rogaal celiyey isaga oo doonaya in uu ka faalloodo sida looga falceliyey dooddii uu oogay, waxana uu rumeysan yahay in dooddiisii ay iimo ila yeelatay, hase ahaatee aan muujin kari waayey caddaymo ku saabsan waxa aan dhaliilay markii aan qormadiisa akhriyey. Ibraahin wuxuu qoray:
Liibaan Axmad wuxuu qabaa saddexdaas dhawaaq oo dhigaalkooda la dooriyaa in ay dadka afafka reer yurub wax ku bartay ku adkayn lahayd in ay af soomaali ku higgaadiyaan.


Ma aqaan meesha uu Ibraahin hadalkaa ka soo dheegay. Qormadayda waxa ay xoogga saaraysay muujinta sida aan ugu haftay bareerayaashiisa afeed ee isburinaya. Tusaale, Ibraahin wuxuu qoray:
Intii ka horraysay oktoobar sannadkii 1972 af soomaaligu ma uu qorrayn, sidaas darteed nabarrada ay afafka kale ee qorani la dhacayeen aad ayey u darraayeen, dhaawacyo ba’an oo ay u gaysteen ayaana maanta jidhkiisa ka wada muuqda.
af carbeedka oo af soomaaliga deris la ah xidhiidh xooggan la leh ayaa ka mid ah afafka soomaaliga aad u saameeyey, kaas oo erayo badan oo jiray ka takhallusay kuwo kale oo badanna soo kordhiyey. Afafka Yurub oo iyaguna muddo dheer dhulka soomaalida ka talinayey ayaa iyaguna af soomaaliga dhirbaaxooyin kulul la dhacay.


Waxa haddana uu qoray:

Taas macnaheedu ma aha afafkaas aynu ka soo hadalnay saamaynta ay af soomaaliga ku yeesheen mar walba in ay xumayd. Run ahaantii erayo aad u badan oo aan af soomaaliga ku jirin ayey afafkaasi soo kordhiyeen, taas oo hodantinnimo u noqotay.
Ahaanshaha iyo sifadu marka ay israacaan iyaga oo dheddig ayaa iyaduna ah cillad aan labadaas qodob lagu kala maarayn karin. Tusaale: dhuxushu waa ay nooshahay. Sida muuqata sifada iyo ahaanshaheeda ma kala goyn karro oo ma qori karro sida ay naxwe ahaan saxa ku tahay oo ah: dhuxushu waa ay nool tahay.


Gabagabada qormadiisa waxa uu Ibraahin u dooday sidan:

...af soomaaliga dhismihiisa iyo taddawurkiisa ma aha in la farageliyo oo sidii la doono loo qaabeeyo ee waa in loo raacaa sida uu isagu dabci ahaan isu abuuro ee isu qaabeeyo.

Sidee buu Ibraahin 'nool tahay' erey naxwaysan ugu arkaa haddii aysan ka mid ahayn "af soomaaliga dhismihiisa iyo taddawurkiisa"? Sow faragelinta uu Ibraahin sheegayo ma aha arrintan?

Friday 28 December 2007

Maxaa hortaagan inaysan Soomaalidu kala gar qaadan …

Waxaan akhriyey qormadan xiisaha leh oo ku soo baxday somaliland.org. Way kala duwan yihiin cinwaanka iyo doodda qoraha waayo qoruhu waxa uu doonayaa in Soomaalida kala gar qaadato.

Hal-Bixinta Ereyada Kombiyuutarka: Buug Cusub

The author has accomplished a challenging feat by trans'lating computer terminology into Somali. He has done this by adopting words and concepts used in rural and urban Somali culture. Suleekha Ali Yuusuf, a social anthroplogist.

Waxa soo baxay buug cusub oo ku saabsan hal-bixinta ( erey-bixinta) ereyada kombiyuutarka. Waxaa buugga qoray afyahanka Cabdiraxmaan Faarax(Barwaaqo). Waa buuggii ugu horreeyey oo noociisa ah oo laga qoro kombiyuutarka.
Waxa laga heli karaa lulu.com .

Wednesday 26 December 2007

The Varied Uses of the Past Tense in Somali Language

Thirty six years have passed since the first Somali language grammar book was published. Since then a couple of Somali grammar books have been published(1) . There are aspects of Somali grammar that throw up more questions for Somali language researchers. Although the Somali past tense can be used as both present and past perfect tenses, it has nuances that manifest themselves in both the spoken and written word and show the challenges facing the descriptive and prescriptive Somali language grammarian.

The past tense is used in Somali to:
1 refer to an event that took place at a specific time in the past (an adverb of time being the indicator)
2- refer to an event that has taken place at an unspecific time in the past
3-describe a situation that has or has not changed


It is the third point that calls for redefinition of the use of the past tense because of ambiguity attendant on its use in Somali language. In Somali it is common to use the past tense in reference to a situation that may not have changed, as the following imaginary dialogue between Samatar and Warsame will show:

Samatar: Waxaan ku nooleyn Xaafadda Xamar Jajab. (We have lived in Xamar Jajab quarter)
Warsame: Ka xaggee Xamar Jajab? ( Where in Xamar Jajab?)
Samatar: Dekedda agteeda ( near the harbour)
Warsame: Ma waxaad deris ahaydeen reer Jaamac? (Were you neighbours of Jaamac’s family?)
Samatar: Haa. Ina Jaamac iyo aniga ayaa saaxibbo ahaa. (Yes. Son of Jaamac and I were/have been friends.)

Samatar’s use of past tense to make mention of friendship with the son of Jaamac may or may not mean that the friendship is a thing of past, and may prompt someone who is learning Somali as second language to ask: “ Are you not friends anymore?”
The use of the past tense to refer to situations that are not necessarily past is not confined to the spoken word. It is widely used in different forms of writing in Somali language. It sometimes creeps in English texts by Somalis using the same tense in English as the one they are using in Somali when formulating ideas. A political memoir(2) by a Somali politician contains paragraphs about another politician whose ‘antics’ he has described as being alien to the Somali people “ who were Muslims”. Following examples are drawn from three texts—two books and a scholarly paper published in an academic journal.

1-Dirirta qabaa’ilka ayuu gabaygu qayb muhiim ah oo waranka u dhigma ka ahaan jirey, dumarkuna si toos ah ugama aanay qayb qaadan jirin dirirtaas(3). (Like the spear, the poem played a major role in clan warfare, but women did not have a direct role in the fight.)
2-1972 ka hor af soomaaligu wuxuu ahaa af lagu hadlo oo keli ah oo
aan qornayn. Wuxuuna lahaa suugaan aad u ballaaran oo si murti
leh uga hadasha nolosha reer miyiga(4) … ( Before 1972 Somali was a spoken language and without an orthography. It has had a broad literature that meaningfully cover the nomadic life… )
3-Kornayl Axmed Cumar Jees wuxuu ka mid ahaa saraakishii14/8/1992 magaalada Baardheere ku aasaastay Isbahaysiga SNA ee Jenersal M. F Caydiid Guddoomiyaha ka ahaa.(5) (Colonel Axmed Cumar Jees was one of the officers who on, 14/8/1992, formed at Baardheere town the Somali National Alliance of which General M. F. Caydiid was chairman. )


The first quote is from a book on the role of women in the Somali society. The second quote is from a scholarly paper on the written Somali language. The third quote is from a book on the causes of Somalia’s state collapse. If we assume that the use of the past tense in the second sentence of the second quote doubles as present perfect, (it has had a broad literature that profoundly cover the nomadic life…), we find out that the same assumption cannot be made about the first quote for factual reasons: poetry is still used to fan inter-clan violence but the modern arms have replaced the spear in the Somali environment. It is the third sentence (Colonel Axmed Cumar Jees was one of the officers who, on 14/8/1992, formed at Baardheere town the Somali National Alliance of which General M. F. Caydiid was a chairman) that raises questions about use to of ‘a verb to be’ in Somali past tense to refer to a person who is a alive. Colonel Jees’s co-founder status is in the present and therefore the verb to be used in the Somali present tense
( yahay ) is arguably more suitable as long as he is alive regardless of the existence of the alliance he co-founded.

The three examples we have used in this essay aim to shed some light on the subtleties of the Somali language grammar described by Dr Georgi Kapchits(6) as “a grammar that a foreigner cannot learn easily.” This difficulty in learning the Somali language grammar has partly to do with the varied uses to which many aspects of the Somali grammar are put, and it poses challenges for grammarians and translators, teachers and students working in Somali language.


Notes

1-Among the Somali grammar books written are: Aasaaska naxwaha af Soomaaliga. Mugdisho By Wasaaradda Waxbarashada ( Ministry of Education), 1971; Barashada naxwaha af soomaaliga (A Somali school grammar) by Abdalla Omar Mansur, Annarita Puglielli, 1999 ; Naxwaha cusub ee afsoomaaliga = Al-Nahwa al-Jadid Lillughah Bilsomalyah by Maximed Xaaji Zuseen Raabbi, 1995. ; Qawacidka luuqadda Somaaliga= Grammar of the Somali language by Ibraahim Xashi Moxamud & Moxamed Xashi Xidhkayome, 1998.; Naxwaha af Soomaaliga ( The Somali Grammar ) by Axmed Maxammad Sulaymaan (Shiraac), 2003; Naxwaha Af Soomaaliga (The Somali language grammar) by Shire Jama Ahmed 1976; Somali Reference Grammar ( in English) by John I. Saeed, 1987 ; A Grammatical Sketch of Somali by Helena Dubnov, 2003 ; Somali Grammar By John Warner, 1985.

2-The book in question is From Barre to Aideed: Somalia: the agony of a nation by Hussein Ali Dualeh, 1994.
3-From the book Guri waa haween ( The bedrock of the family: Somali Woman and Her Potential Role) by Mohamed Bashe Haji Hassan, 2006

4-From Somali: From an Oral to a Written Language by Abdalla Omar Mansur in Diogenes, 1998;
5-From the book Sababihii Burburka Soomaalida ( Causes of Somalia’s State Collapse) by Cabdulqaadir Cusmaan Maxamuud (Oromo), 1999
6-An interview in Somali language with Georgi Kapchits published in Hal-Aqoon, a Journal of Somali Literature and Culture.

Sunday 23 December 2007

Qorista af Soomaaliga

Cabdiraxmaan Barwaaqo, afyahanka Soomaaliyeed, ayaa wax ka qoray arrimo kala duwan oo ay ka mid tahay xasillooni-darrida af Soomaaliga. Waxa uu Barwaaqo tixraacaya dood uu soo bandhigay qoraa Soomaaliyeed, Ibraahim Hawd, toddobaadkan.

Sunday 16 December 2007

Qorista af Soomaaliga ma aha qabyo

Waxaan qormadan ku lafagurayaa dood ku saabsan qabyonimada af Soomaaliga oo qoraaga Ibraahin Yuusf Axmed (Ibraahin Hawd) ku soo bandhigay mareegta redsea online. Ibraahin wuxuu rumeysan yahay in “qabyannimada qoraalka af soomaaliga marka aynu ka hadlayno ugu horraynba eedda waxaynu dhabarka u saaraynaa far soomaalida oo aan maalintii la hirgeliyey ka dib wax horumarin ah, wax turxaanbixin ah iyo wax cilmibaadhis ah lagu samayn, hawlahaas oo haddii la qaban lahaa dhaliilo badan oo maanta jira lagu fardaamin lahaa.” Cilmi baaris badan ayaa lagu sameeyey dhinacyo kala duwan oo af Soomaaliga ku saabsan. Waxa jira buug lagu soo ururiyey tixraaca cilmi baarista af Soomaaliga; waxa la soo saaray buuggaa muddo hadda laga joogo dhowr iyo toban sano. In maanta lagu dhiirrado in af Soomaaliga la baro shisheeyaha waxa kaalin weyn ku leh macallin Guush ( B. W. Andrzejewski), Joon Ibraahim Saciid iyo cilmi baareyaal kale. Waxa cilmi baareyaal afeed oo macallin Guush ka mid yahay qireen in af Soomaaligu muddo yar ku gaaray horumar afafka kale ku qaatay dhowr qarni. Taa loolama jeedo in af Soomaaliga dhammaystiran yahay. Ibraahin wuxuu xusay in dhibaatooyinka af Soomaaliga soo foodsaaray ka mid yihiin:






1)af soomaaliga eraydiisa oo aan la isla wada aqoon mar haddii aan qaamuus lagu koobin; 2) kala duwanaanta dhawaaqyada af soomaaliga oo aan qoristooda xeer laga dejin; 3) farta loo doortay in wax lagu qoro oo haddana adeegsigeeda lagu kala duwan yahay mar haddii aanay lahayn halbeeg lagu wada khasban yahay.

Waa la soo saaray qaamuusyo kadib qoristii af Soomaaliga. Erayada lagu soo ururiyey ma badna, weydiintuse waa: yaa koobi kara ereyada af leeyahay? Waxa jira ereyo isku si loo qoro, si kala duwanna loogu dhawaaqo. Tusaale ahaan beer, inan iyo awr. Ma cadda in Ibraahin ereyda noocan ah madaxa ku hayo marka uu sheegayo in “kala duwanaanta dhawaaqyada af soomaaliga … aan qoristooda xeer laga dejin.”

Ibraahin wuxuu kuu doodayaa in afafka shisheeyuhu dhibaato u geysteen af Soomaaliga. “Af carbeedka oo af soomaaliga deris la ah xidhiidh xooggan la leh ayaa ka mid ah afafka soomaaliga aad u saameeyey, kaas oo erayo badan oo jiray ka takhallusay kuwo kale oo badanna soo kordhiyey. Afafka Yurub oo iyaguna muddo dheer dhulka soomaalida ka talinayey ayaa iyaguna af soomaaliga dhirbaaxooyin kulul la dhacay.” Haddii aad tahay akhriste aan jeclayn in ereyo shisheeye soo dhexgalaan af Soomaaliga , waad u riyaaqaysaa ereyada Ibraahin inta uu aragtidaa ku dheggan yahay. Markiiba wuu isbeddelay oo wuxuu u dooday sidan: “Taas macnaheedu ma aha afafkaas aynu ka soo hadalnay saamaynta ay af soomaaliga ku yeesheen mar walba in ay xumayd. Run ahaantii erayo aad u badan oo aan af soomaaliga ku jirin ayey afafkaasi soo kordhiyeen, taas oo hodantinnimo u noqotay.”

Ibraahin wuxuu qabaa in loo baahan yahay “ eray-bixin firfircoon oo lagaga maarmo afka qalaad siiba xagga fekerka, cilmiga iyo farsamada cusub, kuwaas oo cidhiidhi weyni inaga haysto.” Eray-bixinno kala duwan—sayniska, siyaasadda, arrimaha bulshada, sharciga, dhaqaalaha iyo maamulka—ayaa la sameeyey. Dal soo koraya haddii uu horumarin u duubto waa lagama maarmaan in fekerka iyo farsamada fiican meeshii laga heli karo laga soo qaato. Waa arrin si fudud loo arki karo haddii dib loo eego taariikhda waxbarashada Soomaalida intii u dhexeysay 1972kii-1990kii.

Arrin xiise leh oo Ibraahin qomradiisa ku xusay ayaa jirta. Waa ereyda siyaabo kala duwan loogu dhawaaqo ama loo yaqaan marka la tago deegaanno kala duwan. Waxaa ereyadaa ka mid ah xiriir, xidhiidh, baraare, badhaaadhe, sanuunad iyo suugo. Ereyadan qaarkood waa kuwo laga soo amaahday afaf shisheeye. Ibraahin wuxuu soo jeedinayaa in la keeno xaraf seddexaad oo aan r ama dh ahayn --xiriir, xidhiidh-- haddii la doono si kala duwan ha loogu dhawaaqo ereyaga marka la qoro. Haddii madaxbannaanidaa ku dhawaaqis qofka la siinayo maxaa la isugu howlayaa samaynta xaraf seddexaad? Maxaa dhacaya haddii labada dhawaaq sidooda loo haysto oo loo arko inay muujinayaan hodontinnimada af Soomaaliga? Ereyo isku macno ah oo uu Ibraahin u arko in qoraal ahaan iyo dhawaaq ahaan kala duwan yihiin ayaa jira. Waxaa ka mid ah wax iyo walax. Markii manhajka waxbarashada lagu dejiyey af Soomaali walax waxay yeelatay macne sayniseed sida tusaalahan ka muuqda: Walax ayaa cufkeedu yahay seddex kiiloo-garaam.

Inkastoo qormada Ibraahin ay kooban tahay, waxa ay taabanaysaa dhinacyo kala duwan sida naxwaha af Soomaaliga . Waana halkan meesha ay si cad uga muuqanayso in Ibraahin naxwaha u fahamsan yahay si ka duwan sida naxwaha af Soomaaliga loo qoray. Ibraahin wuxuu xeeriyey xeer uu isagu dejiyey oo ornayaa:


Afka waxaa ku jira eray muujiya ahaansho, sida waan harraaddan ahay, waad xanaaqsan tahay, wuu dhiirran yahay, waa ay qurxoon tahay, waa aynu badan nahay, waad faraxsan tihiin iyo waa ay tuban yihiin. Sida aynu aragno qodobka ahaanshuhu mar walba wuxuu u qormayaa gooni, umana baahna in sifada ka horraysa lagu daro oo la dhaho: harraaddanahay, xanaaqsantahay, dhiirranyahay, qurxoontahay, badannahay, faraxsantihiin iyo tubanyihiin. Waxaase jirta marar ay taasi adkaanayso, waxaana ka mid ah marka ay sifada ka horraysaa ku dhammaato xarafka sh ama d ama lahaansho. Jumladda ah geed ubax leh haddii aynu rogno oo lahaanshaha dhexda gelinno waxay noqonaysaa geedku ubax buu leh yahay. Sow ma aha? Haddana sida aynu aragno erayga leh markii uu dhexda galay wuu adkaaday wuxuuna isu rogay lee waayo xarafka marka uu halkaas ku jiro dhawaaqa ayaa diidaya sidaas darteed wuxuu isu rogayaa e. Haddiise lee loo qori lahaa naxwaha afka ayaa diidaya waayo waa eray aan jirin Dabadeed waxaad arkaysaa iyada oo ceebtaas lagu qarinayo in ahaanshaha la raaciyo oo la qorayo leeyahay. Taasi mar waxay meesha keenaysaa eray aan jirin oo ah lee, mar kalena waxay jebinaysaa xeerkii qoraalka loo raacayey ee ahaa ahaanshaha in goonidiisa loo qoro.

Ahaanshuhu qodob ma aha. Kala qoridda ahaanshaha iyo ereyaga uu la socdo waxa ay xiran tahay sida ereyga loogu dhawaaqo iyo dhererka ereyga marka la isku daro. U fiirso labadan tusaale:


Waan fiican ahay.
Waan fiicanahay.

Haddii la raaco sida Ibraahin ku talinayo weedha hore dhawaaqeedu lama mid noqonayo weedha labaad. Way jirtaaa mar ay wacan tahay in sida Ibraahin ku taliyey ereyada qaarkood loo qoro iyada oo kala qaadayo falka ahaansho iyo sifada. Tusaale: waad xanaaqsan tahay.

Isbeddelka ‘leh’ ku dhacay—‘geed ubax leh’ waxa keenay dhismaha weedha cusub. Weedh kasta si gaar ah ayey u saameysaa sida loo qorayo ereyada qaarkood. Markaa ‘lee’ ma aha erey cusub. Tusaale kale oo ahaanshaha ku saabsan ayuu Ibraahin soo qaadanayaa:


Ahaanshaha iyo sifadu marka ay israacaan iyaga oo dheddig ayaa iyaduna ah cillad aan labadaas qodob lagu kala maarayn karin. Tusaale: dhuxushu waa ay nooshahay. Sida muuqata sifada iyo ahaanshaheeda ma kala goyn karro oo ma qori karro sida ay naxwe ahaan saxa ku tahay oo ah: dhuxushu waa ay nool tahay.

Tusaalahan danbe wuxuu Ibraahin ku buriyey dooddiisa ah kala qaadista sifada iyo ahaanshaha waayo isbeddelka dhawaaq ee ka muuqda nooshahay ma aha cillad. Ahaanshaha ka muuqda xanaaqsan tahay, fiican ahay—waa marka sida Ibraahin uu ku taliyey aan kala qaado— wuu ku dhex milmay nooshahay. Waa sababta aan loo qorayn nool tahay. In Ibraahin isbeddelkaa dhawaaq u arko cillad ma bannaana waayo wuxuu qormadiisa akhrsitayaasha ugu sheegay “af soomaaliga dhismihiisa iyo taddawurkiisa ma aha in la farageliyo oo sidii la doono loo qaabeeyo ee waa in loo raacaa sida uu isagu dabci ahaan isu abuuro ee isu qaabeeyo.” Naxwufu kama horreeyo afka. Naxwe qoruhu xogta uu xeerarka afeed ka soo dhiraan-dhirinayaa waa hadalka dadka . Haddii dadka afkooda la baarayaa ay yiraahdaan ‘nooshahay’, halkee ka yimid naxwaha u arka ‘nool tahay’ mid sax ah?

Erayada qaar xaraf weyn lagu bilaabo marna xaraf yar lagu bilaabo ayaa jira, sida Ibraahin xusay. “Haddii ay tahay xeer la isla wada yaqaan marka farta laatiinka la adeegsanayo in magaca gaarka ah xarafka ugu horreeya la weyneeyo, sida Soomaaliya iyo Afrika, miyaa la weynaynayaa cidda magacaas hoos timaadda sida nin soomaaliyeed iyo dawlad afrikaan ah?” ayuu Ibraahin ina weydiiyey. Warcelintu waa ‘haa, waa la weynaynayaa’ oo waxaa loo qori nin Soomaaliyeed iyo dawlad Afrikaan ah waayo xeerarka qoraal ayaa oggolaanaya in la weyneeyo xarafka ugu horreeya magaca gaar ama guud meeshuu doono weedha ha kaga jiro.

Qorista af Soomaaliga ma aha qabyo. Waxa qabyo noqon kara waa aqoonteenna xeerarka qoraal ama naxwaha af Soomaaliga. Wadaagista cilmi baarista af Soomaaliga iyo abaabulidda doodo ku saabsan af Soomaaliga ayaa kaalin ka qaadan kara kobcinta aqoonteenna afeed iyo tayada af Soomaaliga wax lagu qoro.