The Jiiddu language (jii), situated in the linguistically diverse Lower Shabeelle region of
Southwest Somalia, is “endangered” according to the Ethnologue “Size and Vitality of
Jiiddu” assessment of the size of the Jiiddo tribe and the fact of intergenerational
disruption (Eberhard, Simons and Fennig 2021). This case study of Jii language
development efforts is a response to the Jiiddo community's request to “help preserve our
linguistic heritage” (Ibrahim Ibro, in discussion with this researcher, 2010). The thesis
comprises a literature review of sources from 1951 onward, including the Jii dictionary
(S. Ibro 1998), and an account of language development activities to date. A trajectory
for Jii revitalization efforts is proposed that is based on interviews with Jiiddo youth and
elders and informed by the Sustainable Use Model (SUM) theory of Community-Based
Language and Identity Development (CBLID). Especially critical to the future of Jii
language development is the need to address the vital challenge of intergenerational
disruption by increasing oral transmission of the language from parents to children.
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URL
https://www.diu.edu/documents/theses/Neterer-Michael_thesis.pdf