Musa Haji Ismail Galal ( so, Muuse Xaaji Ismaaciil Galaal, ar, موسى الحاج اسماعيل جلال) (1917–1980) was a 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 Ishaaq bin Ahmed, ash-Shaykh Isḥāq ibn Aḥmad,'' historically known as the Habr Toljaala ( so, Habar Toljeclo) is a major sub-tribe of the wider Isaaq family. I ...

clan of the

Isaaq The Isaaq (also Isaq, Ishaak, Isaac) ( so, Reer Sheekh Isxaaq, ar, بني إسحاق, Banī Isḥāq) is a Somali clan. It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. Per ...

. 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 the ...

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 su ...

Somali language Somali (Latin script: ; Wadaad writing, Wadaad: ; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 ) is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in ...

. 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 Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

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 Somali literature is the literature used by the ethnic Somalis of Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Somali poetry Nation of Bards Due to the Somali people's passionate love for and facility with poetry, Somalia ...

and his recordings include the work of

Salaan Carrabey Salaan Mahamud Hirsi ( so, Salaan Maxamuud Xirsi) (1864 – 1943), better known as Salaan Carrabey, was a famous poet from the Adan Madoba sub-division of the Habr Je'lo Isaaq clan. Poetry Salaan's poetry is very rich and he was a notable figur ...

. 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)

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

Biography

Bibliography

See also

Notes

References

External links