ABSTRACT
The Somali language (afka Soomaaliga) is the most prominent member of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, which also includes the more widely spoken Oromo language of Ethiopia. Since 1972 Somali has been the official language of the Republic of Somalia, where it is the mother tongue of at least 9 million people; a further 1.5 million speak the language in Kenya and Ethiopia. Until the twentieth century the rich corpus of Somali traditional poetry was preserved and transmitted almost exclusively by word of mouth. The declamation of poetry seems to be peculiarly well suited to the emotional needs of a nomadic society composed of contentious clans; and just as in early Arabic verse, the panegyric, the dirge and the lampoon figure prominently in Somali verse. Given the mass appeal and the tenacity of the oral tradition, it is not surprising that radio has proved a major factor in the contemporary development of Somali culture.
