Over ons

Somali linguistic varieties are divided into three main groups: Northern, Benadir and Maay. Northern Somali (or Northern-Central Somali) forms the basis for Standard Somali,^[18] particularly the Mudug dialect of the northernDarod. It is today spoken in an area stretching from northern Somalia to parts of the eastern and southwestern sections of the country.^[19] This widespread modern distribution is a result of a long series of southward population movements over the past ten centuries from the Gulf of Aden littoral.^[20] Northern Somali has frequently been used by famous Somali poets as well as the political elite, and thus has the most prestige out of the Somali dialects.^[21]