Musa Haji Ismail Galal ( so, Muuse Xaaji Ismaaciil Galaal, ar, موسى الحاج اسماعيل جلال) (1917–1980) was a
Somali
Somali may refer to:
Horn of Africa
* Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region
** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis
** Somali culture
** Somali cuisine
** Somali language, a Cushitic language
** Somali ...
writer, scholar, linguist, historian and
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
. He is notable for the creation of the Somali Latin script.
Biography
Galal was born in 1917 in
Burao
Burao, also spelt Bur'o or Bur'ao (; so, Burco, , ar, برعو) is the capital of the Togdheer region and the second largest city in Somaliland. Burao was also the third largest city of Somalia. Burao was the site of the declaration of an in ...
. He hails from the
Habar Jeclo
The Habr Je'lo ( so, Habar Jeclo, ar, هبر جعلو , Full Name: ''Mūsa ibn ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala ( so, Habar Toljeclo) is a major sub-tribe of the wider Isaaq family. Its members form ...
clan of the
Isaaq. He is noted for having contributed to the development of
Wadaad script. In the 1950s, Galal introduced a more radical alteration of the
Arabic script
The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and th ...
to represent the
Afro-Asiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic s ...
Somali language
Somali (Latin script: ; Wadaad: ; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 ) is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in Greater Somalia and the Somali diaspora. Somali is an ...
. He came up with an entirely new set of symbols for the
Somali vowels. I.M. Lewis (1958) considers this to be the most accurate Arabic script to have been devised for the Somali language.
[Lewis, p.139-140]
A prolific writer, Galal was also among the foremost authorities on the Somali
astrological,
meteorological
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
and
calendrical systems. He devoted two major works to traditional Somali science, both of which are regarded as classics in
Somali Studies. He was prolific in recording and writing about
Somali poetry and his recordings include the work of
Salaan Carrabey.
After a long scholarly career, Galal died in 1980.
In his honour, the Somali Studies Association periodically presents the ''Musa Galaal Award'' to Somalists whose work on Somali history and culture has earned distinction.
Bibliography
*''The terminology and practice of Somali weather lore, astronomy, and astrology'' (1968)
*''Stars, seasons and weather in Somali pastoral traditions'' (1970)
See also
*
Osman Yusuf Kenadid
*
Shire Jama Ahmed
*
Salaan Carrabey
Notes
References
*
External links
Stars, Seasons and Weather in Somali Pastoral Traditions(Pre-publication excerpts)
The Terminology and Practice of Somali Weather Lore, Astronomy, and Astrology(Book review)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galal, Musa Haji Ismail
1917 births
1980 deaths
Ethnic Somali people
Linguists from Somalia
Somalian historians
Somalian writers
Somalian non-fiction writers
Somalian scholars
Somalists
20th-century historians
Somali-language writers
20th-century linguists
20th-century non-fiction writers