Martin Orwin
Encyclopedia
Martin Orwin is a British
linguist, scholar and writer
, specializing in the languages and cultures of the Horn of Africa
.
and Amharic
and has a Ph.D.
in the phonology
of the Somali language
. Since 1992, he has been a lecturer in Somali and Amharic at the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS) in London
, England
, where he teaches both Afro-Asiatic
languages.
He has also published articles on Somali language and poetry and has conducted field research in the Horn of Africa.
Orwin's ongoing research interests include language use in poetry, particularly in the metrics of Somali
verse. In addition, he has translated a number of Somali poems, two of which were published in the Modern Poetry in Translation (No.17 Mother Tongues Special Edition 2001) compendium.
Orwin has worked closely with a number of Somali poets, including Gaarriye
and Hadraawi, and is very involved with the Poetry Translation Centre
based in London.
He is also the author of Colloquial Somali, a popular book & CD instruction course on the Somali language.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
linguist, scholar and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, specializing in the languages and cultures of the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
.
Biography
Orwin studied ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
and has a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in the phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
of the Somali language
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
. Since 1992, he has been a lecturer in Somali and Amharic at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(SOAS) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he teaches both Afro-Asiatic
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
languages.
He has also published articles on Somali language and poetry and has conducted field research in the Horn of Africa.
Orwin's ongoing research interests include language use in poetry, particularly in the metrics of Somali
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
verse. In addition, he has translated a number of Somali poems, two of which were published in the Modern Poetry in Translation (No.17 Mother Tongues Special Edition 2001) compendium.
Orwin has worked closely with a number of Somali poets, including Gaarriye
Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaariye'
Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye is a poet from Somalia. He was member of the Somali National Movement. He has composed one of the best known Somali poems on the theme of reconciliation, "Hagarlaawe" .-References:...
and Hadraawi, and is very involved with the Poetry Translation Centre
Poetry Translation Centre
The Poetry Translation Centre was is an organization dedicated to translating poetry from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It was founded by the British poet Sarah Maguire in 2004...
based in London.
He is also the author of Colloquial Somali, a popular book & CD instruction course on the Somali language.
Major works
- Orwin, Martin, Colloquial Somali: A Complete Language Course, (Routledge: 1995). ISBN 0415452694 ISBN 978-0415452694
- Orwin, Martin and Awde, N and Xaaji, Cabdulqaadir, Somali-English, English-Somali Dictionary and Phrasebook, (Hippocrene Books: 1999). ISBN 0781806216 ISBN 978-0781806213