Somali
people speak quite a number of
languages and dialects, Maay
and Mahaa being the lingua
franca of the majority. In 1972,
the latter was put in a written
format and became the national
language of the country. This
experiment alienated the other
Somali languages and produced
tremendous disenchantment,
particularly on the part of the
Maay speakers. In 2003, however,
the Somali Peace and Reconciliation
Conference at Mbegathi, Kenya,
acknowledged that
Maay will be another
official language of the Somali
Republic.
This English-Maay Dictionary is the
first experiment exploring the roots
of Maay language and its
relationship to the other Somali
dialects as well the Kushitic family
of languages in the Horn of Africa.
The dictionary provides over 15,000
of the most frequently used words in
Maay and their English
translations, with numerous
examples of their every day usage.
The dictionary is a vital addition
to reference collections supporting
undergraduate and graduate programs
on African and Middle Eastern
Studies. It is also an essential
tool for non-Somali case workers
such as those in refugee camps,
immigration and naturalization
officials or lawyers dealing with
Somali asylum seekers. It is equally
a vital tool for interpreters and
translators working on court cases,
hospitals and legal papers as well
as for public school teachers on ESL
programs that teach Maay-
speaking children in English-
speaking countries.
________________________________________________
Dr. Mohamed Haji Mukhtar is
Professor of African and Middle
Eastern History at the College of
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences,
Savannah State University, USA. He
is the author of many scholarly
books and articles including
Historical Dictionary of Somalia
(2003). Dr. Mukhtar, a native
Maay speaker, is fluent in Mahaa,
English, Arabic, Italian and some
Asiatic languages such as Bahasa
Malaysia.
Omar Moalim Ahmed is a data
processing coordinator at Quality
Education Data, a Scholastic Company
in Denver, Colorado, USA. An
agricultural economist, Mr. Ahmed
has worked as a research fellow in
socioeconomic baseline study for Bay
Region Agricultural Development
Project (BRADP) and Juba Environment
& Socioeconomic Studies (JESS). A
native speaker of Maay and fluent
in Mahaa, Arabic and English, Omar
is also co-author of the book:
Custom Rates for Farm and Ranch
Operations in Wyoming, 1995-1996,
Barnaamijyada
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