Note on case marking: "absolutive" case is the basic or default
form. It is used in citation forms, and in all syntactic positions except
for subject. "Subject" case marking is phrasal, it is applied to the last
element of the subject phrase, which may well be an article, verb or other
category. Thus the head noun of a subject noun phrase will not show subject
case marking unless it happens to be the final element of the noun phrase.
"Focus" position is different from subject position, and a focused noun
phrase will not show subject case marking even if it is the logical subject.
Noun | Possessive | Definite article
Demonstrative Interrogative |
Adjective
Relative clause |
dál | a country |
dálka | the country |
dálkayga | my country |
dálka wèyn | the big country |
dálka ann tégayó | the country I'm going to |
mídowga Afriká
unity-the Africa(gen) |
the unity of Africa |
iskaashotóoyinka xooláha
cooperatives-the livestock-the(gen) |
livestock cooperatives |
boolìiska dálka talyáaniga
police-the country-the Italians-the |
the Italian police
(the police of the country of the Italians) |
Cáli waláashíis
Ali sister-his |
Ali's sister
(Ali his sister) |
labá nín
two man |
two men
(two of man) |
labádíi nín
two-the man |
the two men |
Not clear whether acute accent on the first mora of a long syllable does or does not mean rising tone across the two moras. If yes, then the system may be characterized as free association of H with any mora, with a maximum of one H normally allowed per word (but this cannot be the orthographic word, as shown by forms like diidi màayàan 'they are not fainting.'
Tone of plural (absolutive) is all L, except for declension 5, where it is LH, and declension 6, where it is HL.
Tone of plural in irregular cases cited is
always (L)H, but it is not clear whether this is general.
Plural is formed by adding /-o/ or /-yo/ after /i/.
Singular does not end in /-o/.
Singular (absolutive) has high tone on the
last syllable.
Vowel loss occurs in plural if phonological conditions are met.
Singular does not end in /-o/.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
káb | kabo | shoe |
náag | naago | woman |
irbád | irbado | needle |
mindí | mindiyo | knife |
nimrád | nimrado | numeral |
gacán | gacmo | hand |
galáb | galbo | afternoon |
madág | madago or madko | fire-stick |
qolóf | qolfo | husk |
Plural is formed by adding /-o/ and doubling last consonant if /b/,
/d/, /dh/, /l/, /r/, /n/, /m/, or by adding /-yo/ after /i/, /x/, /c/,
/q/, and sometimes after /s/ or /g/.
Singular is always polysyllabic and does not end in /e/.
Divided into two subgroups on the basis of tonal behavior:
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
baabùur | baabuurro | truck |
darìiq | dariiqyo | road |
dígsi | digsiyo | cooking pot |
dhínac | dhinacyo | side |
nácas | nacasyo | fool |
sánnad | sannaddo | year |
wáddan | waddammo | country |
Singular has L throughout. However,
L is exceptional in that the last syllable does not lower before a pause.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
abti | abtiyo | maternal uncle |
durbaan | durbaanno | drum |
gorgor | gorgorro | vulture |
huudhi | huudhiyo | canoe |
markhaati | markhaatiyo | witness |
sambab | sambabbo | lung |
suldaan | suldanno | sultan |
Plural is formed by adding /-o/, or /-yo/ after /i/.
Singular (absolutive) ends in HL sequence
on last two moras.
Vowel loss can occur in plural.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
gárab | garbo | shoulder blade |
hílib | hilbo | meat |
ílig | ilko | tooth |
jílib | jilbo | knee |
qódob | qodbo or qodobbo | article |
xádhig | xadhko | rope |
xáraf | xarfo | letter (of the alphabet) |
béri | beryo | day |
gúri | guryo | house |
nàas | naaso | breast |
Plural is formed by reduplication (repeating last consonant, preceded by /a/).
Singular is always monosyllabic.
Singular (absolutive) has HL pattern if syllable is long, otherwise H.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
áf | afaf | mouth, language |
bùug | buugag | book |
dáb | dabab | fire |
mìis | miisas | table |
nín | niman | men |
sán | sanan | nose |
tùug | tuugag | thief |
wán | wanan | ram |
xèer | xeerar | traditional law |
xòor | xoorar | ratel (honey badger) |
Singular masculine, plural feminine.
Tone is final HL in singular; final LH in plural (or H modulo Saeed's notation)
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
àwr | áwr | male camel |
bálli | ballí | pond |
Cárab | Caráb | Arab |
díbi | dibí | bull |
èy | éy | dog |
mádax | madáx | head, chief |
órgi | orgí | male goat |
Soomáali | Soomaalí | Somali (person) |
Xabáshi | Xabashí | Ethiopian |
yèy | yéy | wolf |
Plural is formed by adding /-oyin/.
Both singular and plural have final HL sequence on last two syllables.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
ayéeyo | ayeeyóoyin | grandmother |
dáwo | dawóoyin | medicine |
éeddo | eeddóoyin | maternal aunt |
hóoyo | hooyóoyin | mother |
magáalo | magaalóoyin | town |
shéeko | sheekóoyin | story |
tálo | talóoyin | decision |
wáddo | waddóoyin | road |
Always end in -e (in singular abs.)
Plural is formed by adding /-yaal/ and changing final /e/ to /a/.
Singular has penultimate-syllable H.
sing. abs. | pl. abs. | Gloss |
áabe | aabbayaal | father |
agaasíme | agaasimayaal | director |
báre | barayaal | teacher |
danjíre | danjirayaal | ambassador |
fúre | furayaal | key |
jáalle | jaallayaal | comrade |
madaxwéyne | madaxweynayaal | president |
túke | tukayaal | crow |
xogháye | xoghayayaal | secretary |
Example: dàas "shop" can be Declension 4 (daasas)
or Declension 2 (daasyo).
búnduq | banaadíiq | rifle |
kúrsi | kuraasí | chair |
márkab | maraakíib | ship |
maxbùus | maxaabíis | prisoner |
"may often be given Somali plurals; for examle the noun kúrsi
"chair" can be found with the plural form kursiyo, i.e. treated
as a regular Declension 2 noun."
úgax | ugxáan | egg |
dhágax | dhagxán | stone |
qálin | qalmáan | pen |
In general, case marking is phrasal, and is only implemented on
the last element in a noun phrase, which may or may not be a noun.
For instance, a postnominal determiner counts as such a final element,
as does the final verb in a postnominal relative clause.Non-final nouns
will always be in the premodifier form.
Final HL becomes L; final H becomes L; i.e. H tones (if any) disappear.
In addition, consonant-final feminine nouns add /i/.
Absolutive | Subject | Gloss |
nín | nin | man |
libàax | libaax | lion |
ínan | inan | boy |
gabdho | gabdho | girls |
rún | runi | truth |
béen | beeni | lies |
náag | naagi | woman |
Absolutive | Subject | Gloss |
nín | nin | a man |
nínkíi | nínkii | the man (distal) |
níinka | nínku | the man (proximal) |
In general, when a noun has a low tone plural or a low lexical suffix (or what looks like a lexical suffix even though it isn't), the final syllable is made H in the premodifier form. (note that this looks like the appearance of an accent). A similar rule applies to nouns that are all L in the singular. Specifically:
Plural nouns in declensions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 have final H tone in the premodifier form.
(Morphophonology of definite articles)
absolutive | gloss | premodifier | gloss |
naago | women | naagáha | the women |
dhinacyo | sides | dhinacyáda | the sides |
xadhko | ropes | xadhkáha | the ropes |
niman | men | nimánka | the men |
odayaal | old men | odayáasha | the old men |
absolutive | gloss | premodifier | gloss |
dáwo | medicine | dawáda | the medicine |
hóoyo | mother | hooyáda | the mother |
magáalo | town | magaaláda | the town |
áabbe | father | aabbáha | the father |
báre | teacher | baráha | the teacher |
xogháye | secretary | xoghayáha | the secretary |
sagaal | nine | sagáal nín | nine men |
toban | ten | tobán nín | ten men |
labatan | twenty | labatán nín | twenty men |
boqol | hundred | boqól níin | one hundred men |
lába | two | labá nín | two men |
Absolutive | Genitive | Gloss |
nín | nín | man |
libàax | libáax | lion |
ínan | inán | boy |
géenyo | geenyó | mare |
áf Carabéed | language of Arabs, Arabic |
nín Soomaaliyéed | man of Somalis, a Somali |
áf shimbiréed | mouth of a bird, a beak |
caanó dameeráad | donkey's milk |
caanó lo'ád | cow's milk |
hádal naagóod | talk of women, women's talk |
hílib riyáad | goats' milk |
hílib idáad | sheep's meat |
It's not clear yet what happens with the genitive of multi-word phrases.
name vocatives | noun vocatives | |
masculine and feminine plural | -òw/yòw | -yohow |
feminine singular | -èey/àay/òoy | -yahay |
Absolutive | Vocative | Gloss |
Cáli | Cáli | name |
Faadúmo | Fàadumo | name |
Guddoomíye | Gúddoomiye | Chairman |
Madaxwéyne | Mádaxweyne | President |
Múuse | Mùuse | name |
Suldàan | Súldaan | name |
Warsáme | Wársame | name |