Northern Somali

Northern Somali
Af Waqooyi — Maxaa Tiri
Native toSomalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottolognort3051

Northern Somali (Somali: Af Waqooyi,[1] alternatively known as Maxaa Tiri[2]) is a dialect of the Somali language and forms the basis for Standard Somali.[3][4] It is spoken by more than 70% of the entire Somali population, with its speech area stretching from Djibouti, Somaliland and the Somali Region of Ethiopia to the Northern Frontier District in Kenya.[5] This widespread modern distribution is a result of a long series of southward population movements over the past ten centuries from the Gulf of Aden littoral.[6]

  1. ^ Lamberti, Marcello (1986). Map of Somali dialects in the Somalia Democratic Republic (PDF). H. Buske. ISBN 9783871186905.
  2. ^ Studies, European Association of Somali; Association, Somali Studies International (2001). Variations on the Theme of Somaliness: Proceedings of the EASS/SSIA International Congress of Somali Studies, Turku, Finland, August 6-9, 1998. Centre for Continuing Education, Åbo akademi University. p. 229. ISBN 978-952-12-0823-2.
  3. ^ Dalby, Andrew (1998). Dictionary of languages: the definitive reference to more than 400 languages. Columbia University Press. p. 571.
  4. ^ "Somali Language - Structure, Writing & Alphabet - MustGo". MustGo.com. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  5. ^ Mundus, Volumes 23-24. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft. 1987. p. 205.
  6. ^ Andrzejewski & Lewis (1964:6)