Italian loan words in Somalia.

[Hamzza]

Can't remember where I got this from, but I do remember wondering how the g sound was dropped, for this to be the case

The "G" is silent

 

[Webb]

The "G" is silent

That explains it

 

[Dhiirane]

Never knew suugo was Italian

 

[Burqad]

It’s funny how you can tell the relationship between countries and their colonizers from language.

Somali loan-words from Italian is basically just food and fashion, meanwhile all the Congolese terms from Belgium are instruments of torture and anti-Walloon slurs

 

[Haragwaafi]

We don't use those words in Somaliland

 

[GaradShabeel]

We don't use those words in Somaliland

None of those words?

 

[Emir of Zayla]

We don't use those words in Somaliland

I haven’t heard of most of those words to begin with

 

[Haragwaafi]

None of those words?

only Boorso Jaalato and Toosh is known where I come from but not the rest

 

[KinsiHilaac]

Common Italian loan words in Somali

This is just arbitrary and not exhaustive. Just thought about the Italian-sounding words I use frequently in my life:



~~The Somali word for which is *kee*. It comes from the Italian word **che** (pronounced *ke* )~~

Other **Italian** – *Somali* cross overs

*Boorso* – **Borsa** (bag)

*Goono* – **Gonna** (skirt)

*Jalaato* – **Gelato** (ice cream)

*Katiinad* – **Cateena** (chain)

*Rajastiin/rajabeeto* – **reggiseno/reggipetto** (bra)

*Foorno* – **Forno** (oven)

*Toosh* – **Torcia** (torch)

*Okayaalo* – **Occhiali** (glasses)

*Kooba diin* – **Comodino** (night table)

*Katabaan* – **Attaccapanni** (coat hanger)

*Armaajo* – **Armadio**(wardrobe)

*Suugo* – **Sugo** (sauce)

~~*Doorshe*~~ *Doolshe* – **Dolce** (cake)

*Fargeeto* – **Forchetta** (fork)

*Fiilo* – **Filo** (cord)

*Jaalo* – **Giallo** (yellow)

*Taako* – **Tacco** (heels)

I would say most Somali things ending in O is suspicious. Might be Italian influence, like Kubeerto- and Cansalaato

 

[Som]

Why do we have so many loan words from other languages? I understand that many words are the inventions that were brought during colonialism. But my point is why dont we have our own words for basic things like apple, banana, onion, tea, yellow, chair, government or even the word please.

Apple,banana, onion, tea (tufaax, moos, basal, shaah) are all things that come from other parts of the world so it makes sense to have a loan word especially Arabic since they brought most of this stuff to Africa and Europe.
Yellow is Huruud in Somali but for some reason in the south people say jaallo like giallo in italian. Government related words are derived from Greek in many European languages. Since we are Muslim we had mostly Muslim governments which explains why we would use words like Dowlad or Xukun

We don’t. That’s barely anything only a dozen or so. Most languages have 30k+ words in their language so Italian words in Somali language don’t even break into half a percent. Arabic loan words are at most 5% or lower.

Arabic loanwords in somali are estimated around 20%. It's a lot but most of these words have a pure Somali synonym that unfortunately isn't used. If you notice it in poetry and songs Arab words become almost non existent, but on common speech we use them without realizing.
We must distinguish though words that are recent loanwords and words that just have a common afroasiatic origin or even influence from pre Arabic languages such as sabean.