Saho language sounds familiar to us Oromos- I am sure Somali's agree too!

[Man with a garuun]

The Saho language seems to be very a Somali dialect. It is basically and isolation that created the little bit of difference.

Fyi, some of the Saho trace their ancestry to awoowe Koombe Kablalax.

 

[The alchemist]

Saho and Afar derive from the same dialect stream before diverging into separate classified languages.

The Hadiya and Kambata speakers live close to each other, intermarry, and have similar traits such as sociocultural elements facilitated by proximity, with both languages sourcing from a common language, relatively recent in the statistical sense. I think these two languages (in practical everyday use) should be a lot more intelligible than their theoretical standing because of speech influence and convergence of group behavior and very close genetic distance.

Given the geographic considerations, is there such an affinity between the Saho and the Afar as well?

 

[Al-Ma'mun]

Saho and Afar derive from the same dialect stream before diverging into separate classified languages.

The Hadiya and Kambata speakers live close to each other, intermarry, and have similar traits such as sociocultural elements facilitated by proximity, with both languages sourcing from a common language, relatively recent in the statistical sense. I think these two languages (in practical everyday use) should be a lot more intelligible than their theoretical standing because of speech influence and convergence of group behavior and very close genetic distance.

Given the geographic considerations, is there such an affinity between the Saho and the Afar as well?

Basically Saho and Afar are like Somali & Af-Maay

 

[The alchemist]

Basically Saho and Afar are like Somali & Af-Maay

The difference is that Saho and Afar got an ethnic distinction, whereas the Af Maay speakers are Somali, both in identity and linguistics.

 

[Al-Ma'mun]

The difference is that Saho and Afar got an ethnic distinction, whereas the Af Maay speakers are Somali, both in identity and linguistics.

There is an ethnic distinction between Maay people and Somalis.Only in Somalia where these two groups live together and created a hybrid Southern culture is this distinction blurred

 

[World]

"The Saho of Eritrea: Ethnic Identity and National Consciousness By Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad"
""The last one is counted among the Saho holy families who act as religious leaders and mediators of the Minifere tribes and who are highly privileged and respected. It is said that the Gadafur are of Somali origin from the tribe of Gadabursi""

 

[The alchemist]

There is an ethnic distinction between Maay people and Somalis.Only in Somalia where these two groups live together and created a hybrid Southern culture is this distinction blurred

Is there really a distinction? I know Maay speakers, and they don't claim anything other than Somali. There might have been such a thing in past history (certainly not to the degree as Afar and Saho), but not anymore, IMO.

 

[Som]

There is an ethnic distinction between Maay people and Somalis.Only in Somalia where these two groups live together and created a hybrid Southern culture is this distinction blurred

Not really. Rahanweyn folks are genetically similar if not identical to other Somalis

 

[Som]

Is there really a distinction? I know Maay speakers, and they don't claim anything other than Somali. There might have been such a thing in past history (certainly not to the degree as Afar and Saho), but not anymore, IMO.

I believe the difference was always linguistic. It's difficult to say when the idea a common Somali identity became firmly established, but we can say with certainty that somalis became aware of their unified Somali identity in the 1800s and I have yet to find any somali source that claims Maay speakers are not Somalis