Book Review

A book on the Somali names and nicknames has been reissued thirteen years after it was first published in Canada. Written by the Somali linguist and lexicographer Abdirahman Farah Barwaaqo, Magac bilaash uma baxo (No name is given without a purpose), attracted the attention of Somali readers and linguists researching Somali language. “It is the book I have been waiting for twenty four years,” wrote Georgi Kapchits, a Somali speaking Russian linguist, in a review. The book is the first of its kind written about Somali names and nicknames. The linguistics sub-field the book belongs to is known as onamastics, “the study of the origins and forms of proper names.”

The author of the book did extensive research independently. “When a script was chosen for Somali language, compilers and collectors of Somali folklore and oral tradition had placed emphasis on the poetry. To offset this imbalance, I set out to write this book,” Abdirahman Barwaaqo told Somali Press Review.

Many Somali names have their origin in Arabic language. The cultural link between Somalis and Arabs made it possible for many parents to give their children Arabic names. “Names like Fahad (cheetah) and Fu’aad (heart) are two proper Arabic male names” that Somali parents would have avoided had they known their meanings. There are Somali female names of Arabic origin too. Names such as Bint (girl) and Bilaad(land) are Arabic female proper names commonly used in Somalia.

The names and nicknames in the book are imbued with cultural meanings, and this makes book a most sought after Somali reference book in Europe and North America where large Somali diaspora has settled almost two decades ago.

© 2008 Somali Press Review

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Publisher details: Hal Aqoon

Email: hal_aqoon@yahoo.com

Tel: (403) 698-0423 ama (403) 689-5951