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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[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]

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...
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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.

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]

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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:[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
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Notes

References

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