Language profiles in Manchester
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Somali
| Language | Somali |
| Language name transliterated | Afsoomaali |
| Distribution | Somalia |
| Estimated number of speakers worldwide | 15m (total)
|
| Language classification | Afro-Asiatic; Cushitic |
| Related to which languages | Afar |
| Distinctive features in sounds | Pharyngeal sounds (pronounced by moving the tongue base against the back of the throat) |
| Distinctive features in grammar | Inflection templates (represent different forms of words); an agglutinative language (formation of complex words by combining whole morphemes) |
| Writing system | Somali Latin script |
| Distinctive graphemes | kh, sh, dh, ˈ, uu, aa, oo, ee, ii |
| Status | Official language in Somalia |
| Number of persons identifying as “main language” in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 85,918 |
| Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) | 3,868 |
| Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester (Census (Census 2011) | 2,958 |
| Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 5% |
| Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 3% |
| Proficiency in English, self-reported in City of Manchester (Census 2011)* | Can speak English very well (40%), Can speak English well (36%), Cannot speak English well (20%), Cannot speak English (4%) |
| Distribution in City of Manchester (Census 2011) | Withington (1233), Hulme (277), Crumpsall (252), Northenden (143), Chorlton (122) |
| Distribution in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) | Bolton (492), Trafford (217), Salford (94) |
| First language of pupils in Manchester schools (2015) | 21,126 |
| Distribution in City of Manchester schools (2015) | Claremont Primary (239), Trinity Church of England High School (166), Webster Primary School (152), St. Mary’s C.E. Primary, Moss Side (149), Manchester Academy (145) |
| Total interpreter requests in Manchester’s GP practices (2014/2015) | 819 |
| Library loans (2012/2013) | 189 |
| Library acquisitions (2012/2013) | 102 |
| M-4 interpreter requests (2012/2013) | 648 |
| Dialects of the language used in Manchester | |
| Other home language common among speakers | Bravenese (Swahili), Arabic |
| Supplementary schools | Somali School |
*Percentages rounded to nearest whole number
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