# Somali grammars and dictionaries: every major one from 1886 to today

> Grammars and dictionaries of the Somali language from Ferrand (1886) and Larajasse (1897) to Keenadiid's Qaamuus (1976), Saeed and Maay dictionaries.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/somali-grammars-and-dictionaries/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## The short version

For about 90 years, almost every book about the Somali language was written by Europeans: missionaries, colonial officers and linguists writing in French, English, German and Italian. Somalis took part as teachers and informants, and from the 1950s as authors. After the Latin script became official in October 1972 ([Somali written, 1972](/en/history/somali-language-written-1972/)), the national Language Committee and Somali scholars produced grammars and dictionaries written in Somali itself. Today there are dozens of Somali-English dictionaries and specialised dictionaries for medicine, business and science, plus a dictionary of the [Maay](/en/society/maay-language/) language of the south.

More on the language itself is on [The Somali language](/en/society/the-somali-language/).

## European grammars and dictionaries, 1886 to 1960

- **Gabriel Ferrand, Notes de grammaire çomalie (1886).** French; early notes on Somali grammar by a French diplomat-scholar ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL45478981W)). Ferrand also wrote Les Çomâlis (1903) ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7057054W)).
- **Adolf Walter Schleicher, Die Somali-Sprache (1892).** German grammar ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7692648W)).
- **Evangéliste de Larajasse, Somali-English and English-Somali Dictionary (1897).** A Catholic missionary's dictionary, published in [London](/en/diaspora/london/); free to read ([Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/cu31924026888820); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15637242W)).
- **Leo Reinisch, Die Somali-Sprache (1900 to 1903).** Three volumes of texts, a dictionary and a grammar from the Austrian Academy's South Arabian expedition; Reinisch also wrote on the Jabarti dialect (1904) ([Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/diesomalisprache01rein); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL45531509W)).
- **J. W. C. Kirk, Notes on the Somali Language (1903) and A Grammar of the Somali Language (1905).** A British officer's grammar with prose and verse examples ([Notes, Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/notesonsomalilan00kirk); [Grammar, Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/grammarofsomalil00kirkuoft)).
- **Marcello Orano, Elementi per lo studio della lingua somala (1931).** Italian ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7793069W)).
- **E. Barry, An Elementary Somali Grammar (1937)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL38777981W)).
- **Solomon Warsama, The Principles of Somali (1951).** One of the first grammars by a Somali author ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL7476450W)).
- **C. R. V. Bell, The Somali Language (1953).** A course book for British officials ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12547557W)).

## The years around the script decision, 1960 to 1972

- **B. W. Andrzejewski, The Declensions of Somali Nouns (1964)** and later studies of indicator particles (1975) and the case system (1979). Andrzejewski worked closely with [Musa Galaal](/en/people/musa-galaal/) ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3823948W)).
- **R. C. Abraham, Somali-English Dictionary (1964) and English-Somali Dictionary (1967)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL669486W); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL669481W)).
- **H. B. Hoffmann, Grammaire de la langue somalie (1968).** French ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5437437W)).

## Written by Somalis in Somali, from 1972

- **Guddiga Af Soomaaliga (Somali Language Committee), Aasaaska naxwaha af Soomaaliga (1973).** The basic grammar issued by the national committee in the year after the script decision ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6551363W)).
- **Yaasiin Cismaan Keenadiid, Qaamuuska af Soomaaliga (1976).** A dictionary of Somali defined in Somali ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5184748W)). Yaasiin was the son of [Osman Yusuf Kenadid](/en/people/osman-yusuf-kenadid/), who created the Osmanya script ([Yasin Osman Kenadid](/en/people/yasin-osman-kenadid/)).
- **[Shire Jaamac Axmed](/en/people/shire-jama-ahmed/), Naxwaha af Soomaaliga (1976)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6551367W)).
- **Cabdulqaadir F. Bootaan, Qaamuuska af Soomaaliga (1976)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6551357W)).
- **Axmed Faarax Cali "Idaajaa" and Cumar Aw Nuux, The Modern English-Somali Phrase Book (1974)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL42632901W)).

## Linguistics and learners' books, 1979 onward

- **Annarita Puglielli (ed.), Sintassi della lingua somala (1981)** and Francesco Antinucci, The Syntax of Indicator Particles in Somali (1979), from the Italian-Somali language project ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23029025W); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6066975W)).
- **John Caney, The Modernisation of Somali Vocabulary (1984).** How new words were coined after 1972 ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5289122W)).
- **Marcello Lamberti, Map of Somali Dialects in the [Somali Democratic Republic](/en/history/somali-democratic-republic-1969-1991/) (1986)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2240514W)).
- **John I. Saeed, The Syntax of Focus and Topic in Somali (1984) and Somali Reference Grammar (1987)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3268152W)).
- **Jawahir Abdulla Farah, Somali Learner's Dictionary (1992)** ([Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/somalilearnersdi00fara)).
- **R. David Zorc and Madina Osman, Somali-English Dictionary with English Index (1993)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4328528W)).
- **Awil Ali Hashi, Essential English-Somali Dictionary (1993)** ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3057657W)).
- **Martin Orwin, Colloquial Somali (1995).** A course for English speakers ([Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/colloquialsomali0000orwi)).
- **Cabdalla C. Mansuur and Annarita Puglielli, Barashada naxwaha af Soomaaliga (1999).** A school grammar in Somali ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4028550W)).
- **Georgi Kapchits, Qaamuuska maahmaahyada Soomaaliyeed (2001).** A dictionary of Somali proverbs by a Russian scholar ([Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/qaamuuskamaahmaa00kapc)).
- **[Mohamed Haji Mukhtar](/en/people/mohamed-haji-mukhtar/) and others, English-Maay Dictionary (2007).** For the Maay language of the inter-river regions ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL33052593W)).

## Specialised dictionaries

Somali authors have published dictionaries for particular fields, including medicine (Mohamed Ali Hassan, Qaamuuska caafimaadka, 2005), business (Suldaan Nayruus, Qaamuuska ganacsiga, 2008), science (Cabdiraxmaan Cabdullaahi Barre, WACYI Science Dictionary, 2016, in Somali, English and Arabic) and personal names (Mohammed Sh. Hassan, Qaamuuska magacyada Soomaaliyeed, 2001) ([Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24129495W); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL32345732W); [Open Library](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL32445455W); [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/qaamuuskamagacya0000hass)).

## Related pages

- [The Somali language](/en/society/the-somali-language/)
- [Somali written, 1972](/en/history/somali-language-written-1972/)
- [Somali authors and their books](/en/society/somali-authors-and-their-books/)
- [Books about Somalis: every era](/en/history/books-about-somalis/)

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