Occupation linguist, historian Died 1980 Name Musa Ismail | Period 1950s-1970s Ethnicity Somali | |
Subject Somali history and science Notable works The terminology and practice of Somali weather lore, astronomy, and astrology (1968)
Stars, seasons and weather in Somali pastoral traditions (1970) | ||
Musa Haji Ismail Galal (Somali: Muuse Xaaji Ismaaciil Galaal, Arabic: موسى الحاج اسماعيل جلال) (1917–1980) was a Somali writer, scholar, linguist, historian and polymath.
Biography
Galal was born in 1917 in Burao. He hails from the Habar Jeclo clan of the Isaaq. He is noted for having contributed to the development of Wadaad's writing. In the 1950s, Galal introduced a more radical alteration of the Arabic script to represent the Afro-Asiatic Somali language. 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. A prolific writer, Galal was also among the foremost authorities on the Somali astrological, meteorological and calendrical systems. He devoted two major works to traditional Somali science, both of which are regarded as classics in Somali Studies.
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.