Dallas International University Thesis Approval Sheet This thesis, entitled Somali Jiiddu Language Development: A Seventy-Year Journey, 1951-2021 written by Michael S. Neterer and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Language and Culture Studies has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the faculty of Dallas International University. April 19, 2021 SOMALI JIIDDU LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: A SEVENTY-YEAR JOURNEY, 1951-2021 By Michael S. Neterer Presented to the Faculty of Dallas International University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with major in Language and Culture Studies Dallas International University April 29, 2021 © 2021 Michael S. Neterer All Rights Reserved CERTIFICATE I acknowledge that use of copyrighted material in my thesis may place me under an obligation to the copyright owner, especially when use of such material exceeds usual fair use provisions. I hereby certify that I have obtained the written permission of the copyright owner for any and all such occurrences and that no portion of my thesis has been copyrighted previously unless properly referenced. I hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless Dallas International University from any and all claims that may be asserted or that may arise from any copyright violation. _________________________________ Signature June 1, 2021 ___________________________________________________________________ Date THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the Dallas International University Library to duplicate this thesis when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed: Michael S. Neterer ABSTRACT Somali Jiiddu Language Development: A Seventy-Year Journey, 1951-2021 Michael S. Neterer Master of Arts with major in Language and Culture Studies Dallas International University, April 29, 2021 Supervising Professor: Stephen L. Walter The Jiiddu language (jii), situated in the linguistically diverse Lower Shabeelle region of Southwest Somalia, is “endangered” according to the Ethnologue “Size and Vitality of Jiiddu” assessment of the size of the Jiiddo tribe and the fact of intergenerational disruption (Eberhard, Simons and Fennig 2021). This case study of Jii language development efforts is a response to the Jiiddo community's request to “help preserve our linguistic heritage” (Ibrahim Ibro, in discussion with this researcher, 2010). The thesis comprises a literature review of sources from 1951 onward, including the Jii dictionary (S. Ibro 1998), and an account of language development activities to date. A trajectory for Jii revitalization efforts is proposed that is based on interviews with Jiiddo youth and elders and informed by the Sustainable Use Model (SUM) theory of Community-Based Language and Identity Development (CBLID). Especially critical to the future of Jii language development is the need to address the vital challenge of intergenerational disruption by increasing oral transmission of the language from parents to children. DEDICATION This account of the Jiiddo journey of language development is dedicated to Professor Salim Alio Ibro, who blazed the trail by publishing the historic Jiiddu-Somali- English dictionary in Australia (S. Ibro 1998). The dedication also goes to the memory of Professor Salim’s uncle, Cavaliere ‘Chief or Mayor’ Ábdio Ibráu (Abdow Ibro), in whose footsteps Salim followed. Cavaliere Ábdio took the first step in this journey by welcoming Italian linguist Martino Moreno and sharing with him the Jiiddu phrases that would become the first published in an academic paper, Brevi notazioni di ǧiddu (Moreno 1951). Professor Salim followed in his uncle’s footsteps by welcoming a second Italian linguist and language development specialist in 1979, Dr. Giorgio Banti, who helped establish the Jiiddu orthography. This thesis is also dedicated to the memory of Professor Salim’s older brother, the late Sultan Ibrahim Alio Ibro, who supported his brother’s work and enlisted my help on the dictionary here in Minnesota. His son, Sultan Warsame Alio Ibro, and the next generation of youth leaders are now carrying Sultan Ibrahim’s legacy of Jiiddu language and culture preservation. I dedicate this thesis to the glory of God and the heritage of the Jiiddo people. My prayer is that this paper will be helpful to the entire Jiiddo family, both Safar and Wajis. I hope it may somehow benefit their Digil neighbors, who are also considering the future of their languages for their children and future generations. If the Jiiddo community wish to continue this ‘Language and Identity Journey,’ I am happy to walk with them. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis could not have been written without Ayub Osman whose vision for Jiiddu language development has inspired me and the Jiiddo Youth Association (JYA). According to the wisdom of the Jiiddo, Nam sheli berey beryi dareerka somne miiri. ‘A man who ran away yesterday cannot be caught up to today by walking.’ Osman has begun the journey, and the rest of us will have to run to catch up. I thank him and his elders, especially Ahmed Borille, Sultan Ibro, and Professor Salim Ibro, for their support to Osman and the JYA, as well as for their personal contributions. I appreciate Sultan Warsame Alio Ibro’s endorsement of this language development project and his oversight of Ayub Osman and the JYA’s activities. He is living up to his name Warsame ‘One who brings good news’ as he empowers the next generation of youth leaders. I am thankful to Sultan’s friend Reuben Nzuki for asking me to accompany him to Somalia in 2015 for community assessment. I am grateful to the faculty of the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics (GIAL), at Dallas International University (DIU), starting with librarian Carole Unseth, for her professional assistance and personal encouragement. And many thanks go to my instructors Robert McKee, Jack Shoemaker, and particularly Jonathan Dailey for teaching me how to use FLEx in Field Data Management, and for his help in publishing the Jiiddu lexicon via Dictionary App Builder. Regarding technology, appreciation goes to the team of software engineers at SIL for their work to create and improve such programs. ix I thank my committee for their profound investment. Carl Follingstad has generously shared his expertise in linguistics via correspondence, and in person, in Texas, Minnesota, and Kenya. I am grateful for the linguistics training he provided the JYA in Kenya in 2018. Pete Unseth’s “reach out to a scholar” assignment in the Oral Tradition & Literature class opened an important door in Sweden. His Language Development & Planning class proved foundational for this project. Stephen L. Walter inspired me in Multilingual Education class with his experiences in Eritrea and other nations for what is possible in Somalia. I am grateful for his wise leadership as committee chair and his high academic standards. Of course, any errors remain my own. Thanks to Mohamed Haji Mukhtar for his invitation to the Somali Maay Language Conference in Sweden in 2018. Thanks to Doug Person for sharing resources that he gathered over a lifetime. Deep gratitude goes to Dr. Giorgio Banti in Italy for countless hours of consultation on Jiiddu morphology. Thanks to David Eberhard and his team for sharing the principles of the Sustainable Use Model (SUM). I thank my colleagues and leaders at SALT-Arrive Ministries and Transform Minnesota for their compassionate work on behalf of refugees. I thank my friends and family across the US, from Minnesota to Virginia, for financial and moral support. I am grateful to my parents, Gary (who passed away in 2020), and Ilene Neterer for their unconditional love. Much love and gratitude go to my wise, generous parents-in- law, Paul and Elizabeth Strand. My deepest love and gratitude go to my wife Sara, for her understanding and support. I also thank my three sons, Seth, Caden, and Josiah, for their patience with this project and cheerful help to their mother and me. April 19, 2021 Contents DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... VII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... IX LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................. XIV LIST OF MAPS AND FIGURES ............................................................................................................. XV LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................ XVII 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 RESEARCH PROBLEM: ENDANGERED LANGUAGE .................................................................................. 1 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FROM JIIDDO LEADERSHIP ...................................... 3 1.3 THESIS PURPOSE AND GOALS ................................................................................................................ 4 1.4 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS ..................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................