Origin of the word 'Gaal'

[Banadiri Warrior]

Do you know Arabic ?

The triliteral word ( kafr ) is not only found in the Arabic language, but is also present in other Semitic languages. The biliteral linguistic root is found in the Somali language .

What is the meaning of the word kfr ( كَفَرَ kafara ) in the Quranic verses ?

Kafara means disbelieved, you're not proving anything

 

[Man with a garuun]

I believe the word "Gaal" is derived from "Galla".

After we (Somalis) reverted to Islam, we had serious conflicts with the Galla to the point we drove them out of our land.

 

[NidarNidar]

I believe the word "Gaal" is derived from "Galla".

After we (Somalis) reverted to Islam, we had serious conflicts with the Galla to the point we drove them out of our land.

Oromo never lived in Somalia regions ever, they only started moving out of their ancestral homeland in the Southwest in the 16th century.

 

[Man with a garuun]

Oromo never lived in Somalia regions ever, they only started moving out of their ancestral homeland in the Southwest in the 16th century.

Gallas (especially Borana) used to live all the way Nugaal, Sanaag, and Bari). We learned from elders the places they fought us and how they were driven out of our territories.

for instance, Nugaal was a Borana king. He was killed and areas that his people once settled today is called Nugaal.

 

[NidarNidar]

Gallas (especially Borana) used to live all the way Nugaal, Sanaag, and Bari). We learned from elders the places they fought us and how they were driven out of our territories.

for instance, Nugaal was a Borana king. He was killed and areas that his people once settled today is called Nugaal.

I highly doubt that, what are your sources?

Even Oromo timelines match this spread from the 16th century.

 

[The Oponian Guild]

Gallas (especially Borana) used to live all the way Nugaal, Sanaag, and Bari). We learned from elders the places they fought us and how they were driven out of our territories.

for instance, Nugaal was a Borana king. He was killed and areas that his people once settled today is called Nugaal.

Not true, I’d say before Somalis moved southwards, the land was inhabited by the Harla, who were driven into extinction and or absorbed by the incoming Somalis, the Harla are hypothesised to have been mainly absorbed the Darod, where they are now counted as a branch of it. The Harla were probably similar to the Rendille and were speakers of a somaloid language, but persisted with their Waaq religion until they were defeated and islamised at the hands of the incoming Somali clans

 

[Man with a garuun]

Not true, I’d say before Somalis moved southwards, the land was inhabited by the Harla, who were driven into extinction and or absorbed by the incoming Somalis, the Harla are hypothesised to have been mainly absorbed the Darod, where they are now counted as a branch of it. The Harla were probably similar to the Rendille and were speakers of a somaloid language, but persisted with their Waaq religion until they were defeated and islamised at the hands of the incoming Somali clans

Xarla Koombe is part of the Daarood family and therefore fully Somali.

 

[Riftvalley]

Not true, I’d say before Somalis moved southwards, the land was inhabited by the Harla, who were driven into extinction and or absorbed by the incoming Somalis, the Harla are hypothesised to have been mainly absorbed the Darod, where they are now counted as a branch of it. The Harla were probably similar to the Rendille and were speakers of a somaloid language, but persisted with their Waaq religion until they were defeated and islamised at the hands of the incoming Somali clans

Only problem with that theory is that archaeologists found the Hara Islamic sites to show signs of show evidence of non-Muslim and highly Muslim practicing societies coexisting. That doesn’t point to a defeat, more like a gradual adoption of Islam through Dawah and trade.

Maybe Harla +Darood and other Somali ancestors=same. And thus it would just be a case of Somali inventing jihad origins for themselves and distancing themselves from their pagan ancestors.

Even the name Dar-ood seems like it might be related to stone builders of some sort.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Did Somalis speak Arabic as native language back in the days ? How would they come up with the Arabic word “qaal la = he said no” ?

No Somalis didn’t speak Arabic. Ibn Batutta visited Somalia back in the 12th or 13th century, I forgot which one, but he specifically went out of his way to make it clear that the locals (Somalis) didn’t speak Arabic.

 

[Somali Saayid]

No. Gaal = Camel (as in AbGaal). Gaal'la = Camel less ( foreigners ). Gaal became associated with colonizers and thus non Muslims.

I also thought the clan names Gaal-Jecel meant foreigner lovers. Interesting it just Camel in old af somali

 

[NidarNidar]

No Somalis didn’t speak Arabic. Ibn Batutta visited Somalia back in the 12th or 13th century, I forgot which one, but he specifically went out of his way to make it clear that the locals (Somalis) didn’t speak Arabic.

They used it as a secondary language, I had a brief read Ibn Battuta travels to Mogadishu, and he stated they spoke their own language between themselves but when he was present they spoke Arabic.

There are several different words for camel in Somali.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

They used it as a secondary language, I had a brief read Ibn Battuta travels to Mogadishu, and he stated they spoke their own language between themselves but when he was present they spoke Arabic.

There are several different words for camel in Somali.

View attachment 348731

Ibn Batutta said the Sultan was the only one among the Somalis who spoke Arabic

 

[ZBR]

In Somali language , letter " q ق / k ك " is pronounced as " g چ " .

For example :
the word " book " became " buug " and " the book " became " buugga "
( It had to be : " buukka " ) .

the word " bank " became " bangi " in Somali language .

the word tooth in Somali lanuage was " ilik " became " ilig " .

the word leg in Somali lanuage was " luk " became " lug " .

لق / عق ← لك / عك ← لچ / عچ

Luq / caq → Luk / cak → Lug / cag

The letters " L ل " and " c ع " are interchangeable
ع = ل
c = L

The pronoun " I " was " anaku " and became " anigu " in Somali .



So the word " Kaafir كافر " which means unbeliever became " gaal چال " .

كفر ← چال

Kafr → gaal

The letters " L ل " and " R ر " are interchangeable

ل = ر

L = R

By the way, the word “ Kafr كفر ” is a Somali word and NOT a loan word .
I will explain in another post .

​

Baiso language ( belongs to Somaloid languages ) ,
the word for right is ( merge ) while in Somali languge , the word
for right is ( midig ) .
merge مرچ
midig مدچ
As we noticed in the two words, there is a transformation of the letter " d " into the letter " R / L " ,
or we can say that the letter " R / L " turns into the letter " d " .

Another example:
The word ( dayax ديح דיח ) in the Somali language means ( moon )
While the word ( yarax يرح ירח ) in the Aramaic , Canaanite and Hebrew languages means ( moon ) .
As we noticed in the two words, there is a metathesis and there is also a transformation of the letter " d " into the letter " R / L " or vice versa.

dayax ديح דיח
yarax يرح ירח


ilm Orma
ilmo Adaama

إلمو أرم

إلمو أدم

Orma
Adaama



Perhaps the word ( GaLaa ) comes from the word ( GaDaa ) .
gaLaa
gaDaa
​

‏جزاك الله خيرا brother

 

[TheLand]

Never heard of this explanation, but it makes sense, if answers another question, from a linguistic perspective. It is said to be derived from ' قال لا => qaal la => he said no', originally used to describe people who refused to accept Islam.

In Yemeni Arabic, letter 'q' is pronounced as 'g', in which case, then it would appear 'Gaal' as in 'Geel', as has been suggested, is just a homonym, with no linguistic bearing.

Postscript:
How has 'gaalshire', as in a place where 'gaalo' congregate, come to mean prison?

Gaalshire = Italian ‘Carcere’ meaning prison. It’s just the typical Somalification of a foreign word. This is what they call the main prison in Boosaaso. Further proof is that in the areas where Italians didn’t control no Somali people call it ‘gaal shire’ hence not an actual Somali word with any meaning.