Maay Maay

Mai-Mai
Af- Mai-Mai
Native toSomalia; significant communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, North America, and Yemen.
RegionBakool, Bay, Middle Juba, Lower Shabelle, Gedo, Hiran
EthnicityRahanweyn
Native speakers
2.75 million (2020)[1]
DialectsMaay Erte (Central Somali), Maay Dhete (Af-Shambarro, Lower Juba Maay, Mahaway), Af-Helledi
Maay alphabet
(Latin script)
Official status
Official language in
Somalia
Language codes
ISO 639-3ymm
Glottologmaay1238

Mai-Mai, commonly spelled Maay Maay (also known as Af-Maay, Af-Maymay, or simply Maay; the Mai-Mai spelling is rarely used but it is most often spoken), is a dialect of the Somali language of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.[2] It is mainly spoken in Somalia and adjacent parts of Ethiopia and Kenya. In Somalia, it is spoken in South West state, Jubaland state, and Banadir. It is one of the dialects of the Somali language.[3]

  1. ^ Mai-Mai at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery - Page 67
  3. ^ The Shaping of Somali Society Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900 Page 23

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