An analysis of language data collected in REACH’s Assessment of Hard-to-Reach Areas in Somalia.
Click to read and download the report in English.
These findings challenge a widespread perception that Northern Standard Somali (Mahaa) is used and understood by all, and mutually intelligible with Maay and Benadiri Somali. To further understand the language challenges internally displaced people (IDPs) face in Somalia, we talked to humanitarians and academics who speak either Maay, Benadiri, or Mahaa as a first language about the mutual intelligibility of these languages and dialects and the resulting language barriers. Read our report and recommendations for responding organizations (English).
