Maay
A language of Somalia
| Population | 1,860,000 in Somalia (2006). |
| Region | South, Gedo region, Middle and Lower Shabeelle, Middle and Lower Jubba, Baay, and Bakool regions. Also in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, United States. |
| Language map |
Somalia |
| Alternate names | Af-Maay, Af-Maay Tiri, Af-May, Af-Maymay, Rahanween, Rahanweyn |
| Dialects | Af-Helledi. May be more than one language; the dialects form a continuum. Standard Somali [som] is difficult or unintelligible to Maay speakers, except when learned through mass communications, urbanization, and internal movement. Different sentence structure and phonology from Somali. The Rahanwiin (Rahanweyn) clan confederacy speak various Maay dialects or languages. Af-Helledi is a Maay secret language used by hunters. |
| Classification | Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East, Somali |
| Language use | Used by the Tunni [tqq], Jiiddu [jii], Garre [gex], and Dabarre [dbr] as L2. |
| Language development | Bible portions: 2006. |
| Comments | Little travel. Muslim. |
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