Colloquial Somali: A Complete Language Course (Colloquial Series (Book Only))

Rating:
Summary: Small. But good, considerings its size.
Review: To paraphrase the publisher's commentary, what makes this the student's best choice for Somali is that it is almost the only choice. It is not a bad book, but to call it a "complete" language course is a stretch.

It is, however, a good introduction for the rank beginner, such as myself. It emphasizes the aspects of pronunciation that are difficult for English-speakers, such as tone differences that signal grammatical change. It shows methodically how words and sentences are constructed and it presents dialogues for speaking. Having mastered this course, the student may want further study, perhaps by searching the offerings of American universities that have programs in African area or language studies.