A Somali Alphabet
Alfabeetadda Soomaaliyeed
Orders
This bilingual alphabet book was written in 2001 by Nadifo Ayanle, a participant in the African Women's Literacy Project of Portland Adult Education in Portland, Maine. This newsletter article explains how the Literacy Project led to the creation of the book.
Since then, the book has been used across the country in literacy trainings, library story-times, and classrooms at all levels. It has also been distributed in the Born to Read training for early childhood educators, Many Eyes, Many Voices: Talking About Difference Through Children's Literature.
A new edition of the book, published in 2005, features:
- English pronunciations to accompany the featured Somali word on every page
- Two maps showing Somalia and its location in Africa
- A description of Somalia in English and Somali
- Tips for teachers using the book in the classroom
- A description of the Somali language and its pronunciation
- A compact disc recording of a native Somali speaker reading the book aloud in Somali and English
Here is a sample of the CD audio recording, a mp3 file (455K).
You can click on any image to the right to get a larger, readable view.
Orders
The new edition of A Somali Alphabet is available now.
To order fewer than 50 copies, please print this order form as a Word document, or a PDF form and mail it to us, or order online using PayPal. For orders of 50 copies or more, please call or e-mail brita@mainehumanities.org for bulk pricing.
The book is also on sale at Longfellow Books in Portland.
Thank you!