Somaloid_languages

Macro-Somali languages

Macro-Somali languages

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The Macro-Somali or Somaloid languages, or (in the conception of Bernd Heine, who does not include Baiso[1]), Sam languages, are a branch of the Lowland East Cushitic languages. They are spoken in Somalia, Djibouti, eastern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya. The most widely-spoken member is Somali.[2]

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...

Languages

The primary division is between Baiso and Rendille versus the remaining languages, for which Heine proposes the terms "Eastern Sam" or "Dad".[3]

Sound correspondences

The following sound correspondences hold between Rendille, Aweer and Somali:

More information Proto-Sam, Rendille ...

The Eastern Sam or Dad group is characterized by the following four changes:[4]

  • The voiceless stops *t, *c, *k became voiced *d, *j, *g when following a vowel.
  • Elsewhere, *c becomes a fricative *ʃ.
  • *z > *d.
  • *m > *n at the end of a word.

In Boni, several consonant clusters simplify:[5]

  • *mb, *nɗ, *ng > m, n, ŋ
  • *ns > s
  • *ng before *i > *ndʒ > *nʃ > ʃ

Notes

  1. [1]
    Heine 1978, p. 8.
  2. [2]
    Roger Blench, 2006. The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List (ms)
  3. [3]
    Heine 1978, p. 39.
  4. [4]
    Heine 1978, p. 40.
  5. [5]
    Heine 1978, pp. 18–19.

References

  • Heine, Berndt (December 1978). Hetzron, Robert; Schuh, Russell G. (eds.). "The Sam Languages. A History of Rendille, Boni and Somali". Afro-Asiatic Linguistics. Monographic Journals of the Near East. 6 (2). Malibu: Undena Publications. hdl:2307/858.

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