Salom Abdul worries that his 13-year-old daughter won’t be able to speak Somali anymore, which could lead to strained family relationships.
“I have no problem understanding my daughter, but my parents do,” she said.
When the family went on vacation to Somalia in June 2022, the only means of communication between Salom’s parents and their daughter was through body language, such as hugs, kisses, back rubs, and holding her on her lap. was.
“My daughter doesn’t speak the language as well as I would like, because I’m a working mother and can only see her for a few hours in the evening and morning. Most evenings, she does her homework or watches TV.” said Salom.
She said her biggest worry is the less she has. daughter The more languages you know, the more isolated you will be from the rest of your family and community.
More than 86,000 people of Somali descent live in Minnesota, according to estimates by Minnesota Compass based on U.S. Census data. The study found that Somali is the second most common non-English language spoken in Minnesota homes, after Spanish.
But three decades after Somalis began immigrating to the United States in large numbers, many parents worry that their American-born children are losing touch with the language. This has led to a growing number of language-teaching programs in Minneapolis public schools, St. Cloud schools, the University of Minnesota, and more.
Last fall, St. Paul Public Schools launched the East African Elementary Magnet School, which supports students in seven languages, in an effort to reverse the decline in families attending charter schools, where most students speak Somali. The K-5 school currently has over 200 students.
“As someone with a strong cultural background, one of my biggest concerns for my family and the entire Somali community is the loss of our language, traditions and culture,” Salom said.
receptive bilingual
Irina Zaikovskaya, a lecturer at the University of Minnesota who specializes in second language acquisition, said that although some young Somalis transition to English, it does not mean they have completely lost their native language. Stated.
Historically, multilingual children have been forced by the U.S. school system to learn English so that they can do well in school and prepare for job opportunities. As a result, their native language deteriorates, Zaikovskaya said.
“Peer pressure is another factor, making young people feel the need to fit in and, as a result, focus more on using English to become part of the mainstream culture. ” she says.
Sana Mohamed, a third-year computer science student studying Somali at the University of Minnesota, was born and raised in Minnesota and understands only some of the words in the language, but struggles to fully understand, speak, read, and write. He said he is doing so.
“One of the things I struggle with the most is talking to my grandparents and other non-English speakers in the community,” she said.
She said her parents took her to Somalia for a vacation, but she found herself among the people who didn’t speak a word of English.
“The relatives I met were very nice and conversational, but there was a big language barrier and I felt quite isolated,” she said.
She said she often relied on her parents to help translate.
Zaikovskaya said children in many immigrant communities are known as receptive bilinguals, meaning they understand but cannot speak their native language.
She said that from a linguistics perspective, receptive bilingualism cannot be characterized as a loss of language.
“Some multilinguals have developed a system called ethnorect, which combines their native language with the language they are learning,” Zaikovskaya said.
She said many immigrant children return as adults to learn their native language.
Muna Yusuf, 43, whose family immigrated to Germany from Somalia when she was seven years old, said Somali was the only language she knew when she moved to Germany. But after a few years, she completely lost her Somali language, and instead she learned fluent German.
When she immigrated to the United States at age 17, she learned English for the first time, replacing her German with English.
Muna said he relearned Somali as an adult and now speaks it fluently.
“I’m a mother now and my children don’t speak Somali, but I hope that one day they will learn the traditional language,” she said.
“I hope they’re learning their heritage language,” said Muna, who is raising seven children in Brooklyn Park.
Language program grows
When Minneapolis Public Schools launched its Somali Heritage Language Program in 2021, about 4,000 of its students identified as Somali.
Deka Muhyiddin is a children’s book author and one of the founders of the MPS program. As a former classroom teacher, she has seen firsthand how Somali children struggle to maintain their native language.
She says there is a huge language barrier between most Somali parents and children.
She pitched the idea of creating the program to her boss, Muhyiddin Warfa, the district’s executive director of multilingual and magnet programs.
He accepted her idea of incorporating Somali into the school curriculum. Since then, Somali has been approved for grades kindergarten through high school, Deka said.
“At first, it was difficult to find qualified teachers,” she said. “But we were fortunate enough to find enough teachers to start the program.”
Deka said the Somali Heritage Language Program was launched with about 70 kindergarten and first grade students. In the second year, 2nd and 3rd year students were added, bringing the number of students to approximately 162.
The goal going forward is to add more grades each year, she said.
complicated history
Saad Roble, senior imam at many mosques in the Twin Cities, was one of the first people to teach written Somali when it was first recognized by the Somali government and academia in 1972. was.
He said Somalia was the first. Official language throughout Somalia. However, in terms of writing, each region of Somalia spoke a colonial language that was a mix of French, Italian, and British English.
“I have been lucky enough to know many languages, but I still remember when the only Somali language we knew was the one we spoke. “It’s hard to see it disappear from the kids,” he said.
Some local residents worry that losing their language means losing their connection to Islamic spiritual practices.
Mohamed Ali, executive director of the Abubakar As-Sadiq Islamic Center, said the mosque offers prayer space, Quranic lessons, interpretation of Quranic verses, and Friday sermons in both English and Somali. He said he was there.
“While we make it easier for young people to understand the Somali language and Quranic verses by providing interpreters, we strongly encourage them to pay close attention to their language and cultural heritage. ” he said.
“Eighty percent of Somalia’s culture is based on Islam, so sticking to the culture and language strengthens religious knowledge.”
Salom Abdul said he makes a special effort to speak Somali with his daughter at home.
“I speak Somali with my daughter all the time, but she spends most of her waking hours with people who speak English, so it’s difficult to speak or retain the Somali that I speak with her at home.” It becomes difficult,” Salom said.
“We love and welcome American culture, but we also want to make sure we don’t lose what we had,” she said.