What percentage of somalis speak Arabic in your opinion

[Som]

What percentage of somalis speaks at least basic conversational Arabic (A2-B1 level or more) back home and in the diaspora? By basic i mean giving directions, buying or selling stuff, describing surroundings, ordering food etc
Whenever i meet Arabs they tell me about all the somalis they meet who spoke Arabic ( abroad not just in their home countries) and they believe all somalis speak Arabic fluently. Back in the days Somalia had Arabic schools, Somali schools, Italian schools and English schools. i think all govt schools in Somalia taught a bit of arabic (just like most schools teach English as a foreign language) so graduating from a somali school would make you basic or intermediate depending on your personal effort or even fluent for those who studied everything in Arabic. I'm not sure if they still teach it Arabic as a foreign language today. It seems our current president Hassan Sheikh doesn't speak Arabic or at least isn't fluent enough so he used English while visiting Egypt and some members of his delegations had headphones to hear translations. Sheikh sharif on the other hand was fluent

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

What percentage of somalis speaks at least basic conversational Arabic (A2-B1 level or more) back home and in the diaspora? By basic i mean giving directions, buying or selling stuff, describing surroundings, ordering food etc
Whenever i meet Arabs they tell me about all the somalis they meet who spoke Arabic ( abroad not just in their home countries) and they believe all somalis speak Arabic fluently. Back in the days Somalia had Arabic schools, Somali schools, Italian schools and English schools. i think all govt schools in Somalia taught a bit of arabic (just like most schools teach English as a foreign language) so graduating from a somali school would make you basic or intermediate depending on your personal effort or even fluent for those who studied everything in Arabic. I'm not sure if they still teach it Arabic as a foreign language today. It seems our current president Hassan Sheikh doesn't speak Arabic or at least isn't fluent enough so he used English while visiting Egypt and some members of his delegations had headphones to hear translations. Sheikh sharif on the other hand was fluent

For the query to be more meaningful, you might want to break it down by:
i) age group id est <= 20s vs =>50s ,
ii) locale (home vs diaspora vs in other Muslim countries viz Arabia), and
iii) class (from educated families vs religious vs nomads), for you will find more of the older generations spoke Arabic well whereas youngsters, in the diaspora, for instance do not. You will also find more people back home study Arabic. It is mostly still taught at madrasah, and in schools, even though more and more people are choosing English instead for reason including higher education, economic etc.

Also bear in mind, spoken Arabic 'amiyah' is different from 'fusha'.

 

[Lebron James]

 

[Ragaasi]

10% I'd say. Inshallah 100%

 

[johnsepei5]

I can’t speak Arabic and no one In my family either except great grandparents

 

[AbdiFreedom]

The only Somalis who speak that language at a mininum basic level are those who live there or have in the past. There are nowhere near 10% of Somali Salafis in the west who speak basic Arabic, forget about all Somalis. There are more Somalis who speak Oromo or Amharic fluently than basic Arabic. Ma gaaro 1%. Sheikh Sharif lived in Sudan and Libya. He didn't learn Arabic in Somalia.

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

There are nowhere near 10% of Somali Salafis in the west who speak basic Arabic, forget about all Somalis.

On what are you basing that conclusion?

It might also be regional. Perhaps you could tell us which region(s) you are from, no specifics needed, just direction i.e. North, East, South shall suffice?

 

[Periplus]

The Somali curriculum requires Arabic to be taught for 13 years. Somalis have to take Arabic literature and be able to analyse Arabic poetry and write essays in Arabic by 9th grade.

Most educated Somalis back home can understand academic Arabic but cannot communicate in it because they don’t use it outside the classroom.

Source: I went to school in Somalia

 

[AbdiFreedom]

On what are you basing that conclusion?

Reality and my lived experience. My conclusion comes from a more than decent sample size.

How many Salafis are even a Hafiz, never mind knowing basic Arabic? Does it reach 50%? I was surprised to find a number of Salafis I have known in my life to not know the Qur'an by heart (even I do).

 

[Awad]

The Somali curriculum requires Arabic to be taught for 13 years. Somalis have to take Arabic literature and be able to analyse Arabic poetry and write essays in Arabic by 9th grade.

Most educated Somalis back home can understand academic Arabic but cannot communicate in it because they don’t use it outside the classroom.

Source: I went to school in Somalia

Didn't know Somalia still had public schooling let alone a unique educational cirriculum. Where can I read up on this?

 

[Periplus]

Didn't know Somalia still had public schooling let alone a unique educational cirriculum. Where can I read up on this?

The UN and FGS standardised Somali education ages ago. You can buy their textbooks online.

There maybe differences between each maamul but they’re all practically the same, even Somaliland.

As for public schooling, it exists but it’s seldom free. You have to pay something like $5-10 a month. But it can be waived if you can’t afford it.

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

Reality and my lived experience. My conclusion comes from a more than decent sample size.

How many Salafis are even a Hafiz, never mind knowing basic Arabic? Does it reach 50%? I was surprised to find a number of Salafis I have known in my life to not know the Qur'an by heart (even I do).

I would disagree, as my experience is the opposite of yours. Again, it might be regional, and might be more common in the East & North than in the South - and I am least familiar with the South.

 

[AbdiFreedom]

I would disagree, as my experience is the opposite of yours. Again, it might be regional, and might be more common in the East & North than in the South - and I am least familiar with the South.

Is there a video on YouTube of anyone going around somewhere in Somalia speaking Arabic to randoms on the street?

 

[𐒋𐒖𐒆𐒔𐒖𐒕𐒈]

Is there a video on YouTube of anyone going around somewhere in Somalia speaking Arabic to randoms on the street?

I have not seen any. Keep in mind Somalia of today is a far cry from that of 30 years ago.

 

[Mercury]

Those who can say few phrases or keep a basic conversation don’t count Id say the number is around 2-3% and it’s only people who lived in a Arab country or studied Islam

 

[Garaad diinle]

I'd say between 1-2 million if we're talking about proficiency. Non proficient speakers of arabic is a bit higher than this. You see a somali might be able to understand or even translate words but they might not be able to speak it properly therefore my estimation is around 10%.

 

[Qeelbax]

Who chose over 50%

Never seen a somali that speaks arabic in qurbaha.

 

[Periplus]

Never seen a somali that speaks arabic in qurbaha.

I call BS on your claim that no one in qurbaha speaks Arabic.

Prior to the Yemen civil war, there were more Somalis in Yemen than Europe, America and Australia combined.

As we speak, there is 500,000 Somalis in Yemen. 15 years ago, that number was at least 2 million.

Then add the Somalis in UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia etc.

 

[Periplus]

I'd say between 1-2 million if we're talking about proficiency.

Prior to the Yemen war, there were more than 2 million Somalis in Yemen.

So even that number is too low.

 

[Garaad diinle]

Prior to the Yemen war, there were more than 2 million Somalis in Yemen.

So even that number is too low.

I don't know walaal i think the overall size of somalis in yemen is over estimated. In my humble opinion the somalis living in the arabian peninsula was between 1,5-2,5 milllion.