Culture of Somaliland

It is traditional for

Also, an important form of art in Somaliland is

The main Somali dialect which is the most widely used is Common Somali, a term applied to several subdialects, the speakers of which can understand each other easily. Common Somali is spoken in most of Somalia and in adjacent territories (Ogaden, North Eastern Province, and Djibouti), and is used by broadcasting stations in the Somaliland.

Facility with language is highly valued in Somali society; the capability of a suitor, a warrior, or a political or religious leader is judged in part by his verbal adroitness. In such a society, oral poetry becomes an art, and one's ability to compose verse in one or more of its several forms enhances one's status. Speakers in political or religious assemblies and litigants in courts traditionally were expected to use poetry or poetic proverbs. Even everyday talk tended to have a terse, vivid, poetic style, characterized by carefully chosen words, condensed meaning, and alliteration.

In the prerevolutionary era, English became dominant in the school system and in government. However, the overarching issue was the development of a socioeconomic stratum based on mastery of a foreign language. The relatively small proportion of Somalis (less than 10 percent) with a grasp of such a language—preferably English—had access to government positions and the few managerial or technical jobs in modern private enterprises. Such persons became increasingly isolated from their nonliterate Somali-speaking brethren, but because the secondary schools and most government posts were in urban areas the socioeconomic and linguistic distinction was in large part a rural-urban one.

Even before the 1969 revolution, Somalis had become aware of social stratification and the growing distance, based on language and literacy differences, between ordinary Somalis and those in government. The 1972 decision to designate an official Somali Latin script and require its use in government demolished the language barrier and an important obstacle to rapid literacy growth.

In the years following the institution of the Somali Latin script, Somali officials were required to learn the

The dress code in Somaliland encompasses traditional western and Islamic dress customs. However, most Somalis in this region prefer traditional Islamic dress code while a minority choose to both wear western-style clothing and cultural tradition. Men and women in Somaliland dress different, therefore they are categorised into two sections:

Men in

• assalamu alaikum
  (Peace be upon you)
• subah wanaagsan (good morning)
• galab wanaagsan (good afternoon)
• haben wanaagsan (good night)
• iska waran (How are you?)
• nabat (I'm fine or literally translated it means peace)

Somalis use sweeping hand and arm gestures to dramatize speech. Many ideas are expressed through specific hand gestures. Most of these gestures are performed by women:

• A swift twist of the open hand means "nothing" or "no".
• Snapping fingers may mean "long ago" or and "so on"
• A thumb under the chin indicates "fullness".
• It is impolite to point the sole of one's foot or shoe at another person.
• It is impolite to use the index finger to call somebody; that gesture is used for calling dogs.
• The American "
  thumbs up
  " is considered obscene by the majority of Somalis.

References