Macro-Somali languages

The Macro-Somali or Somaloid languages, or (in the conception of Bernd Heine, who does not include Baiso^[2]) 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.^[3]

Macro-Somali
Somaloid
Geographic distribution	Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya
Linguistic classification	Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Lowland East Macro-Somali
Subdivisions	Somali Maay Maay Dabarre Jiiddu Girirra Garre Tunni[1]
Language codes
Glottolog	east2653

Languages

Heine, 1978

The primary division is between Rendille versus the remaining languages, for which Heine proposes the terms "Eastern Sam" or "Dad".^[4] In this proposal, Baiso forms a Northern branch of Omo–Tana.

• Somaloid
  • Rendille
  • Eastern Sam
    • Boni (Aweer)
    • Girirra
    • Somali

Blench, 2006

Within Blench's proposal, the primary division of Macro-Somali is first between Baiso, Sam, and Somali. Then within Sam, the primary split is between Rendille and Aweer. Girirra is left unclassified within Lowland East Cushitic.^[5]

• Macro-Somali
  • Bayso
  • Sam
    • Aweer
    • Rendille
  • Somali
    • Ashraaf
      • Lower Shebelle
      • Shingaani
    • Benaadir
      • Northern
        • Abgaal
        • Ajuraan
        • Gaaljacal
      • Southern
        • Bimaal
        • Xamari
    • Digil
      • Dabarre
      • Garre
      • Tunni
    • Jiiddu
    • Maay
      • Buur Hakaba
      • Northern
      • Southern
    • Midgaan?
    • North-Central Somali
      • Darood
      • Lower Juba
      • Northern
    • Yibir?

Sound correspondences

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

Proto-Sam	Rendille	Aweer	Somali	notes
*b	b	b	b
*d	d	d	d
*g	g	k, -g-	g
	dʒ	ʃ	dʒ ⟨j⟩	Before the vowel *i (palatalization).
*t	t	t, -d-	t, -d-
*c	tʃ	ʃ, -y-	ʃ ⟨sh⟩, -j- ⟨y⟩
*k	k	k, -g-	k, -g-
		ʃ		Before the vowel *i.
*ɗ	ɖ	ɗ, -r-	ɖ ⟨dh⟩	Continues Proto-East Cushitic implosive *ɗ.
*q	x	ʔ	q	Continues Proto-East Cushitic ejective *kʼ.
*f	f	f	f
*s	s	s	s
*ħ	ħ	ħ, -h-	ħ ⟨x⟩
*h	h, -ħ-	h	h
*z	j	d	d
*ʕ	ħ	ʔ	ʕ ⟨c⟩
*ʔ	ħ	ʔ	lost
*m	m	m, -n	m, -n
*n	n	n	n
*l	l	l	l
*r	r	r	r
*w	w	w	w, -b-
*j	j	j	j ⟨y⟩

The Eastern Sam or Dad group is characterized by the following four changes:^[6]

• 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:^[7]

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

Notes

1. "Somali languages". Ethnologue. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
2. Heine 1978, p. 8.
3. Roger Blench, 2006. The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List (ms)
4. Heine 1978, p. 39.
5. Blench, Roger (2006). "The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List" (PDF). p. 3.
6. Heine 1978, p. 40.
7. 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.