Af qalaad aqoon miyaa?

[Lamagoodle]

Wilhelm von Humboldt, the 18th century linguist and father of European academia, wrote: “Absolutely nothing is so important for a nation's culture as its language”


On Somali Television stations, on the Internet, in fahdi-ku-dirir cafeterias, in mosques, yeah almost everywhere you go, somalis tend to believe that speaking another language is tantamount to smartness. What gets me angry is that most of them do not even pronounce words correctly.

The disease “ anything but my mother tongue is fine” is so rampant in our society today that even the wadaads and waranles are victims.

I wrote this awhile back

The great Cali Sugulle wrote decades ago a great song; Af qalaad aqoonta miyaa? which is sung by the great Magool and Xasan Diiriye. !

There is a cliché that words often clutch weight when they are used metaphorically, sarcastically etc. In the Somali language, just as is the case in many other languages some words have multiple/dual/joint/triple meanings.

There are also words which mean differently depending on where in Somalia you come from. Given our waan-daadshe-dogmatic-mentality, it is not unusual for someone to declare a word non grata simply because there is another word.

For instance, your correspondent was reading a forum discussion on somalinet in which two generally reasonable lads- but seduced by tribalism- were using the word LAAN to belittle each other: In the Somali word LAAN has many meanings; 1) branch 2) as a slang; southerner’s derogatory term for sexual organ. It is not unusual for waranles to use this word to mean the stretch of a tree branch (read big clan). Anigu laan dheer ayaan ahay; adigu laan gaab ayaad tahay. Now, if you are waable from the south of Somalia (specially in urban areas) and some boasts about his/her LAAN, you are likely to be declared as insane.

Our colonial history as well as immigration from the Middle East and other parts of Africa has in addition diluted the significance of some of our words. For instance, it is not atypical for someone from Northern Somalia to embrace an Arabic/English word. Reciprocally, a southerner will use an Italian word and demean the Somali one.

How many times have we witnessed the Shukumaan-Towel wars? How many times have we heard the fight over KEESHALI and RAJABEETO? How many times have people vomited at Dooro? How many times has DIGAAG been forced upon us?

Naturally, this fascination with foreign words is a diagnosis of the moral/social decay which has befallen our nation and our people. When you have so called wadaads using Arabic words to describe an Arabic word; how many times have you heard a wacdi and the sheikh although speaking in Somali uses Arabic words which are not comprehended by the audience; likewise when an unalphabetic woman in the UK, Canada, Sweden, Netherlands uses a few catchwords from these countries on their kids; Hooyo, Home Offiska, maxuu sheegay? Hooyo, Bileetka iiken etc.; or when Fadhi-ku-dirir- qaad chewing- qabiliste-cums (men) use foreign words as being fashionable.

The worst of these Somali language abusers are politicians; it seems that their point of departure is that using a few English words is tantamount to political skills. You hear them night after night on Universal TV speaking Somali then adding a few foreign words to give their message a meaning!

The undertones of these fascinations with foreign words at the behest of our language implicitly implies that the user feels/thinks he/she has advanced on the reer magaal ladder.

The lyrics;

Abaar iyo awdal baan ku jirnaa
Anbanoo omos iyo oomanaan ku egnee


Amakaag iyo yaab argagax
Aboowe mancaanoow hoow
Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Waan adqeeysanahee ku aaway
Abaayo macaaneey hooy

Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa?
Maya Maya

Ma ahee

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa?

Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee
Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la iibsan karaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la so ergadaa?

Maya Maya

Maya Maya
Ma ahee

Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Aduunyada waan ka oowdanahee
Aan ogaano halkeey ku aadan tahee

Waan isqeeysanhee ku aaway
Aboowe macaanoow hoow

Ii sheeg maxaa kuu daran
Abaayo macaaneey hooy?

Waan isqeeysanhee ku aaway
Aboowe macaanoow hoow

Ii sheeg maxaa kuu daran
Abaayo macaaneey hooy

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa ?

Maya Maya

Ma ahee
Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa ?

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee.

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee
Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la iibsan karaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la so ergadaa?

Maya Maya

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Asaageen horumaraan arkayaa
Ileeys cadoo iftiimanayee

Amakaag iyo yaab argagax
Aboowe mancaanoow hooy
Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Waan adqeeysanahee ku aaway
Abaayo macaaneey hooy

Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ahee
Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa ?

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la iibsan karaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la so ergadaa?

Maya Maya

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Ogali oo waxbarashada waa ??
Af shisheeya ayaa adoon anahayee

Waan isqeeysanhee ku aaway
Aboowe macaanoow hoow

Ii sheeg maxaa kuu daran
Abaayo macaaneey hooy

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa ?

Maya Maya

Ma ahee
Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa ?

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee.

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee
Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la iibsan karaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la so ergadaa?

Maya Maya

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Itaalkii baa la’is amaahinayaa
Iskeena ma uwada adgeenayeee ?

Amakaag iyo yaab argagax
Aboowe mancaanoow hoow
Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Waan adqeeysanahee ku aaway
Abaayo macaaneey hooy

Ii sheeg maxaa ku daran
Aboowe macaanoow hee

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa?
Maya Maya

Ma ahee

Af Qalaad aqoonta miyaa?

Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee
Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta amaah la iskuma siiyee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta abaal la iskuma saartee

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la iibsan karaa?

Maya Maya

Ma ogtahay aqoonta miyaa la so ergadaa?

Maya Maya

Maya Maya
Ma ahee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Waa intuu qofba eebbe geshaa
Ayeey nala tahay anagee
Ma ogtahay dib looma abuura dadkee

[Vivacious]

On Somali Television stations, on the Internet, in fahdi-ku-dirir cafeterias, in mosques, yeah almost everywhere you go, somalis tend to believe that speaking another language is tantamount to smartness. What gets me angry is that most of them do not even pronounce words correctly.

The disease “ anything but my mother tongue is fine” is so rampant in our society today that even the wadaads and waranles are victims.

We have that problem and it will never go. Smh.
The Diaspora in Xamar throw two or more English worlds when speaking in Somali.
Now the Somalis that have never left Somalia do the same lately just to be called aqoonyahan and a Diaspora.
Walee waa yaab. Anigana xiisa ayaan u qabaa in aan luqadeyda ku hadlo and alxamdulilah I have improved a lot over the last couple years I have lived in Xamar.

[Lamagoodle]

Deeqoy dabci wanaageey, cudurka wuu fiidey. Berigii hore wadaada ayaa af carabiga isticmaali jirey si khatar loogu maleeyo.




I called an uncle in Canada and he could not give me his phone number in Somali!

The funny thing is that even Swedish/Norwegian/ Dutch are used. There is this old woman who moved to the UK from Sweden and sometimes she does not know which language she is using.

[Vivacious]

That is really embarrassing. How can you not know somali numbers? lol
And then a lady who can't really tell which language she is using? Acuudka.

[Lamagoodle]

That is really embarrassing. How can you not know somali numbers? lol
And then a lady who can't really tell which language she is using? Acuudka.

Try it Deeqa, call people you know in Canada/US/Canada. The somalis in the UK are the funniest ; O, OO ...Same goes for somali swedes.

The phone number is the litmus test.

[Vivacious]

I know what you talking about. Lol
Ilaahey ha u gargaaro

[LeJusticier]

[Lamagoodle]

I saw that awhile back

[Bella18]

Lol! This reminded me of xariifko magaalada ku cusub. Waxaan arkay xaliimooyin ka daba ordaayo, I asked one of them what's so special about this guy? kulaha "waa aqoonyahan, 20 luuqad ayu ku hadla"

[zaki87]

Lol! This reminded me of xariifko magaalada ku cusub. Waxaan arkay xaliimooyin ka daba ordaayo, I asked one of them what's so special about this guy? kulaha "waa aqoonyahan, 20 luuqad ayu ku hadla"

ahahahahahahah 20 kulahaaa haduu labaaatan ku hadlo asaagaa ku hadlee ma ayaaadaaa ku hadasha

[Lamagoodle]

Lol! This reminded me of xariifko magaalada ku cusub. Waxaan arkay xaliimooyin ka daba ordaayo, I asked one of them what's so special about this guy? kulaha "waa aqoonyahan, 20 luuqad ayu ku hadla"

[thegoodshepherd]

That is actually not the reason why the song was made. It was made about my uncle Hasan Ali Haji Mire who was a graduate of Princeton and one of the first Somalis to get a Ph.D. When he came back to Somalia from the U.S, he was made Directore Generale of Wasirada warfafinta, and was responsible for the group of singers who made "af qaladaqoonta miya" because he mixed English with Somali. He is still alive and lives in Columbus Ohio. This was before the Kacaan of 1969, nothing to do with communism

[Lamagoodle]

That is actually not the reason why the song was made. It was made about my uncle Hasan Ali Haji Mire who was a graduate of Princeton and one of the first Somalis to get a Ph.D. When he came back to Somalia from the U.S, he was made Directore Generale of Wasirada warfafinta, and was responsible for the group of singers who made "af qaladaqoonta miya" because he mixed English with Somali. He is still alive and lives in Columbus Ohio. This was before the Kacaan of 1969, nothing to do with communism

Thanks for the clarification. I heard it the way I described above. In any case, the song has a good message.

I saw this after your post. It was recorded in 1965

viewtopic.php?f=245&t=330498

[LobsterUnit]

Agendaha meetingka barlamaanka wuxu aha transportationka dhinaca logisticska resourceskiga ama stakeholderiska caloosha weyn.#sand kneegrow politicians who somalise english word to sound smart.

[Lamagoodle]

Agendaha meetingka barlamaanka wuxu aha transportationka dhinaca logisticska resourceskiga ama stakeholderiska caloosha weyn.#sand kneegrow politicians who somalise english word to sound smart.