In English, it is generally very easy to make a plural of a noun. Most of the time, you just add 's',
book > books
house > houses
girl > girls
Occasionally there are nouns for whom there are different ways to make a plural,
woman > women
mouse > mice
tooth > teeth
Sometimes, the word is the same when it is single and plural,
fish > fish
sheep > sheep
Somali is the same. Most nouns are made plural by adding 'o' or 'yo' to the end.
kab (shoe) > kabo (shoes)
naag (woman) > naago (women)
dhinac(side) > dhinacyo(sides)
nacas(idiot) > nacasyo(idiots)
Some others are made plural by reduplicating the last consonant of the word,
af(language) > afaf(languages)
miis(table) > miisas(tables)
nin(man, *originally 'nim') > niman(men)
san(nose) > sanan(noses)
Some other nouns are made plural by adding 'oyin',
hooyo(mother) > hooyooyin(mothers)
magaalo(town) > magaalooyin(towns)
waddo(road) > waddooyin(roads)
sheeko(story) > sheekooyin(stories)
Some other nouns are the same in singular and plural mode, but pronounced differently,
ey(dog) > ey(dogs)
Soomaali(Somali) > Soomaali(Somalis)
balli(pond) > balli(ponds)
How can you know when to use the right plural? Somali has seven 'declensions'. A 'declension' is just a group of nouns that share the same characteristics like spelling, no. of syllables, tone, etc. Once you can recognise the declension, you will know how to make the plural and also how to pronounce it. I will show the seven declensions of Somali nouns soon inshallah.
Assalamu alaykum~!
ReplyDeleteWhat books would you recommend for the new learner of Somali??? (or the complete beginner) My goal is to become fluent insha Allah. Insha Allah write me back soon!!! JzkAllah
Assalamu alaikum. The best Somali textbook is called "Somali Textbook" by David Zorc and Abdillahi Issa. But it is really really expensive because it is rare. Usually, most people opt for "Colloquial Somali" by Martin Orwin, which is also good. Both these books help you understand the grammar, but can't help with pronunciation and aural comprehension. Youtube now has many programmes in Somali, like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJodNRBE8sQ.
ReplyDeleteThanks! But does the Somali Textbook give vocabulary etc???
ReplyDelete'Somali Textbook' has vocabulary, grammar, roleplay exercises, practice sentences, etc. Look for it on the Dunwoody Press website. It is about $80-90, I think, but if you master that book, then you will be able to speak Somali inshallah.
ReplyDeleteInsha Allah ta'ala! thanks so much for this info! Jazak Allah khairn
ReplyDeleteThe 7 declensions would be a great help! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, I will upload a post on the seven declensions of Somali very soon.
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