Somali
Af-Soomaali
Afro-Asiatic · Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti
Endangerment: Safe — Spoken by all generations and learned naturally by children.
Salaan, aad baan ugu faraxsanahay inaan kula kulmo.
The North Wind and the Sun
Dabaysha Waqooyi iyo Qorraxdu waxay ku doodayeen midkood ka xoog badan. Waqtigaas, nin musaafir ah oo xiran jaakad diirran ayaa jidka soo socday. Labadoodu waxay isku af garteen in kii ugu horreeya ee ninka jaakaddiisa ka siiba loo aqoonsado midka ka xoog badan. Dabaysha Waqooyi waxay ku dhacday xooggeeda oo dhan, laakiin mar kasta oo ay dabayshu sii xoogaysato, ninku si adag ayuu jaakaddiisa isugu sii duubayay. Ugu dambayntii, Dabaysha Waqooyi way quusatay. Markaas ayay Qorraxdu si diirran u iftiintay, ninkuna isla markiiba jaakaddiisii wuu iska siibay. Sidaas darteed, Dabaysha Waqooyi waxay ku qasbanaatay inay qirato in Qorraxdu ka xoog badan tahay.
- It's the official language of Somalia, and it belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family, the same family as Arabic and Hebrew.
- Since 1972 it has officially used the Latin alphabet. The letters 'x' and 'c' stand for Arabic-like sounds made deep in the throat.
- The verb usually comes at the end in subject-object-verb order. Little words like 'baa' and 'ayaa' are added to put the spotlight on the word you want to stress.
- Long vowels are written by doubling the letter, as in 'Soomaali'.