Somali dialects/accent map. Which one do you speak?

[Nalle]

1. Strong northern accent, I try to mask it sometimes, but it is very noticeable

 

[Ferrari]

The ogaden accent

 

[Som]

I was using kids colloquially. I meant young adults (many over 20s now exist who were born in the West). Most in that age bracket still tend to have parents from the same clans or region. Only with the really young ones (sub-10) does bi-clan/bi-regional parents become more common.

Yep i also mean millennials and generation Z. I think it depends.
Many somalis who had kids in the 90s or early 2000s actually met in Europe/north america and this facilitates inter clan marriages. Certainly it's getting more common for young kids to have parents from different qabilis but there are many people in their 20s who come from two very different clans.

 

[Som]

If look at politicians Siad Barre was a good example of southern darood accent, Farmaajo is central, Khayre should be south central (he is from Galgaduud) but he has a more southern accent probably because he grew up in Xamar, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is southern but very standardized, Shaykh Sharif is typical southern, the average somaliland politician is typical northern. The universal tv presenter Cagmadhige is HG i think and he has a pure central accent

 

[Removed]

According to this map this is the dialect/accent distribution in Somalia.
I think this is a bit wrong especially when it comes to Galgaduud and Mudug.
Central Hawiyes (mainly HG but also Murusade in Galgaduud) don't have the same accent as Hawiyes in shabeelaha , Hawiyes in central regions have an accent which is halfway between benadir and northern, in some cases it's sounds more northern(like reer mudug). You can clearly distinguish an abgaal from shabelaha from a HG from galgaduud from their accents
In my opinion there are 6 main somali macro accents in somalia. They have differences within themselves but they should be their own group.
1)pure northern accent spoken in Somaliland and western puntland. This is tricky cause there are many difference betwen eastern SL and western SL, but i feel like we can group them together.
2) pure central accent spoken by darood in mudug and Galgaduud and also by some hawiyes mainly HG.
3) south central accent spoken from El Buur to southern Galgaduud and some parts of hiraan. It sounds like reer mudug mixed with a slight southern sound, spoken mainly by HG, Murusade and mudug/galgaduud Abgaals
4) pure southern accent spoken by ethnic somalis in the south mainly abgaal and southern hawiye clans. You can find this accent in Mogadishu, Shabeelaha and Jubbooyinka.
5) southern accent type 2 , it's spoken by benadiris (cadcads but also bantus and other minorities) it's different from the southern accent spoken by ethnic somalis. This accent can be found in Mogadishu, Merka, Barawe and is also spoken by ethnic somalis who live in contact with benadiris.
6) southern darood accent, spoken by daroods in the south (mainly marexaan) it shares similarities with central accents but has a slight southern influence
7)? These are the main accents of somalia. I think Ogadenia is northern/central depending on which part we consider, I have zero idea of how to classify NFD accents so maybe you can help me. I doubt they sound like central-northern Somalis in Nfd
News, Tv and official media use a central northern accent. I believe the standard dialect is based on the af somali spoken between garowe to Dhuusamareeb . If you listen siad barre era radio speakers they sound very standard.

Ps: i did not include Af-Maay because it's a separate language realated to somali. These are the main maxaa tiri accents/dialects.

Very poor map firstly Liibaan and Mandheera dont speak like Ogadens or anyother somali they have a very distinct accent. Also Garre dont just speak a different dialect its an entirely different language I actually think its just a dialect of Affan-Oromo, Boran in particular.

Secondly I dont know how Afmadow Bardheere and Garbahaarey became Af-maay but that is a great error. There is no Banaadir accent in Jilib the Bantus either speak Maay or some other Gosha language. As for the central regions I know nothing about how they talk but there is definitely a difference between the people I know from Xamar and Galkacyo.

 

[ReerGarissa]

Jubbaland and NFD speak Waamo accent.

 

[Prime Minister]

Yes. I think it's wrong to divide dialects according to clans.
For example Dhulbahante in Las Anod sound closer reer Hargeysa and you can clearly notice that their accent is different from reer Mudug.
Many cities in somalia are mixed. In Galkacyo HG and MJ speak the same dialect, same thing for Isaaq and darood subclans in Ceerigaabo or other places

The map is outdated or classified.

 

[Macalin M]

I speak Xamar dialect.

I'm abgaal but have some HAG fam.

do you think HAG = Habar Gidr

 

[BobSmoke]

2 & 3

 

[The Somali Caesar]

I have a strong Northern accent that people immediately know I hail from Burco

 

[Awbarre]

There are three major accent categories.

1.Dhulo-isaaq-samaron-absame

2.ciise madoobe-Leylkase-marexan-majerten-warsangeli-dishish(i notice that ciise dont say adhi but ari, oron instead of odhon and speak like baha majerten. They also say boowe. Makes sense since baha majeerten had a Ciise mother )

3.Hawiye

You'll find some subclans of each speaking other accents but majority are as such.

Firstly the map is fake, plus Gadabursi and Ciise speak the same exact accent and are North Western. Similarly I would add the western Isaaq subclans.

Ciise do not border any Darood subclan, let alone share anything with the eastern Darood subclans. Just a bit of common sense.

 

[Farjano-Walad]

According to this map this is the dialect/accent distribution in Somalia.
I think this is a bit wrong especially when it comes to Galgaduud and Mudug.
Central Hawiyes (mainly HG but also Murusade in Galgaduud) don't have the same accent as Hawiyes in shabeelaha , Hawiyes in central regions have an accent which is halfway between benadir and northern, in some cases it's sounds more northern(like reer mudug). You can clearly distinguish an abgaal from shabelaha from a HG from galgaduud from their accents
In my opinion there are 6 main somali macro accents in somalia. They have differences within themselves but they should be their own group.
1)pure northern accent spoken in Somaliland and western puntland. This is tricky cause there are many difference betwen eastern SL and western SL, but i feel like we can group them together.
2) pure central accent spoken by darood in mudug and Galgaduud and also by some hawiyes mainly HG.
3) south central accent spoken from El Buur to southern Galgaduud and some parts of hiraan. It sounds like reer mudug mixed with a slight southern sound, spoken mainly by HG, Murusade and mudug/galgaduud Abgaals
4) pure southern accent spoken by ethnic somalis in the south mainly abgaal and southern hawiye clans. You can find this accent in Mogadishu, Shabeelaha and Jubbooyinka.
5) southern accent type 2 , it's spoken by benadiris (cadcads but also bantus and other minorities) it's different from the southern accent spoken by ethnic somalis. This accent can be found in Mogadishu, Merka, Barawe and is also spoken by ethnic somalis who live in contact with benadiris.
6) southern darood accent, spoken by daroods in the south (mainly marexaan) it shares similarities with central accents but has a slight southern influence
7)? These are the main accents of somalia. I think Ogadenia is northern/central depending on which part we consider, I have zero idea of how to classify NFD accents so maybe you can help me. I doubt they sound like central-northern Somalis in Nfd
News, Tv and official media use a central northern accent. I believe the standard dialect is based on the af somali spoken between garowe to Dhuusamareeb . If you listen siad barre era radio speakers they sound very standard.

Ps: i did not include Af-Maay because it's a separate language realated to somali. These are the main maxaa tiri accents/dialects.

Who ever made this made is one clueless Person if they placed Af Maay dialect into Afmadow and Jilib and Jamame and Buale and Kismayo, but they can dream on, we know end of the day who owns the land and controls the land,





secondly, not even Ogaden from Ogadeniya and one from Jubaland have the same accent, its as different as an Australian and a Mancunian from Manchester in north England,
In fact mudug accent is much closer to reer Ogadeniya

isaaq is closer to samaroon/waqoyi

reer NFD have a much closer accent to reer waamo Jubaland

reer xamar cadcad is not the same as hiraan accent,

reer bari is as unique as its own accent in north of puntland


the best way i would describe somali accents is that of the UK, its as diverse as various british accents like brummy - Birmingham, Liverpool scouse, cockney east london, cardiff, new castle Geordie and throw in Scottish and aussie

i mean how on earth do a guy from berbera with their heavy tongue dha dha accent have in common with a guy from waamo jubaland or wajir? both of these accents are as diverse as a person from Scotland and one from Australia

 

[Mr.Haggis]

May May accent. Ma anigaaaaaaaaa?

 

[Farjano-Walad]

Here is are two Ogaden girls taking the mick out of reer Ijara, NFD Cabdalla accent, very close to reer joray and ras kamboni accent

lots of simuilar words like bilcaan, abti-kaayn, walal-kaayn, xafa-daayn

notice how they share jubaland/NFD/ waamo borders and same clan yet so different

the they have the luuq accent at the end

even as a reer waamo from Jubaland, reer ijara NFD is like high land scotissh and lower scotish, one sctoish is thick and one is light hinted scotish accent, imagine george gallow and james bond actor sean connary

 

[Farjano-Walad]

 

[Farjano-Walad]

Galti , an accetn fromOgadeniya and Reer waamo Jubaland Ogaden

as different as they can get, soemtimes i must listen carefully to my cousins from Ogadeniya being a reer waamo i must listen really carefully,

 

[Arabsiyawi]

We speak 1 at home . Nothing more Elite than our northern speech.

 

[Awbarre]

Here is are two Ogaden girls taking the mick out of reer Ijara, NFD Cabdalla accent, very close to reer joray and ras kamboni accent

lots of simuilar words like bilcaan, abti-kaayn, walal-kaayn, xafa-daayn

notice how they share jubaland/NFD/ waamo borders and same clan yet so different

the they have the luuq accent at the end

even as a reer waamo from Jubaland, reer ijara NFD is like high land scotissh and lower scotish, one sctoish is thick and one is light hinted scotish accent, imagine george gallow and james bond actor sean connary

These guys butchered the Somali language.

RIP Af Soomali

 

[salma saluuni]

My somali is a mixture of 1 and 4

I also understand some af may may cos my abo speaks it too. Kinda diverse in this household if you ask me “May ka daari”.
“May fadhasay”. Ask me anything in may may

 

[Dooyo]

My accent is naturally a very strong number 1 (waqooyi) accent. This is probably because I lived in Somaliland for a large chunk of my life, around my mother’s side of the family. But if I had lived around my father’s side of the family, I’d probably be a mix of 2 and 3.

I do used some southern words/phrases. Like ‘ii soo waac’ instead of ‘ii soo qaraac’. Or ‘shukumaan’ instead of ‘towaal’,etc.