This page publishes some of my “cheat sheets” that I use when working on Somali. I thought I’d put them up here in case they would be helpful to others.
It is a work in progress to which I hope to add often.
Table of contents:
Pronouns and mood particles
Noun declensions
Pronouns and mood particles
| Pronoun (English) |
Pronoun (Somali) |
Positive Declarative |
Positive Interrogative |
Negative Declarative |
| I |
anigu |
waan |
miyaan |
maan |
| you (sg) |
adigu |
waad |
miyaad |
maad |
| he |
isagu |
wuu |
miyuu |
muu |
| she |
iyadu |
way |
miyay |
may |
| we (incl) |
innagu |
waynu |
miyaynu |
maynu |
| we (excl) |
annagu |
waannu |
miyaannu |
maannu |
| you (pl) |
idinku |
waydin |
miyaydin |
maydin |
| they |
iyagu |
way |
miyay |
may |
| Pronoun (English) |
Pronoun (Somali) |
“What?” |
Focus baa |
Focus ayaa |
| I |
anigu |
maxáan |
báan |
ayáan |
| you (sg) |
adigu |
maxáad |
báad |
ayáad |
| he |
isagu |
muxúu |
búu |
ayúu |
| she |
iyadu |
maxáy |
báy |
ayáy |
| we (incl) |
innagu |
maxáynu |
báynu |
ayáynu |
| we (excl) |
annagu |
maxáanu |
báannu |
ayáannu |
| you (pl) |
idinku |
maxáydin |
báydin |
ayáydin |
| they |
iyagu |
maxáy |
báy |
ayáy |
Noun declensions
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
| sg: gender, end |
f, no -o |
m, no -e |
m/f, (C)V(V)CVC |
m, -C |
| pl: gender, end |
m, -o |
f, -o |
m, -CCo |
m, -aC |
| eg sg |
naag |
inan |
galab |
qoys |
| eg pl |
naago |
inammo |
galbo |
qoysas |
|
5 |
6 |
7 |
| sg: gender, end |
m, 1-3 syl |
f, -o |
m, -e |
| pl: gender, end |
f, stress |
m, -oyin |
f, -ayaal |
| eg sg |
mAdax |
hooyo |
aabbe |
| eg pl |
madAx |
hoyooyin |
aabbayaal |
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I think this is somewhat helpful. But it would likely be best to teach more practically, without grammatical terms, that is, with practical examples from everyday speech. Check out the CD’s by Michelle Thomas for an example of how this is done. He uses the students’ native language as the basis for teaching the foreign language without presenting grammatical rules up front, or even at all. He leave out grammatical terms as much as possible. In his Spanish instruction, his focus is on the structure of the language which he builds by teaching the present tense forms, then the future tense, and finally the past tense. Limited vocabulary, some numbers, days of the week, colors, and so on are taught incidentally because these can always be picked up later. But how to use the language is his main focus. So he starts with something simple like I eat, you eat, you all eat, he eats, she eats, they eat, and we eat. Then he introduces other verbs that may require different treatment for I, you singular, you plural, he, she, they, and we. One can learn the structure of the language fairly quickly. I think you are on the write track in the first two columns but then you go into way too much complexity and grammar for English speakers who are not generally grammarians. Grammar can be taught naturally. Look at Thomas’s approach and I think you’ll see what I mean.
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