Maahmaah
From Halbeeg, the open encyclopedia · Af-Soomaali
142 languages
Maahmaah (also written "maah maah") is a concise saying that is preserved and passed down through generations by a community. Maahmaah typically refers to an observed truth or advice about how people conduct themselves. It has a fixed form, which makes it easy to remember and difficult to alter.
Maahmaah are part of oral literature (spoken language passed down through tradition). They exist in nearly all languages of the world. When a speaker or ordinary person uses a maahmaah, they strengthen their speech with community authority: the words are not attributed to a particular person, but are presented as something known by earlier peoples.
Characteristics of form
Maahmaah are typically brief and often have two parts that run parallel or alternate. They frequently employ sound repetition (such as alliteration) and compact rhythm. Other techniques include metaphor—the literal meaning of a word is not intended; it stands for something else. For example, an animal or object may be the subject, but the intention is to describe a human quality.
Social function
Maahmaah are used in debate, child-rearing, and dispute resolution. Elders and mediators in oral communities use maahmaah to support decisions they reach, to show that the decision rests on established law. They are also used to address someone indirectly, thereby avoiding direct criticism or insult.
Somali maahmaah
Somali maahmaah are a highly developed form and belong with other genres of rhythmic speech such as poetry (gabar), alliterative chanting (geeraara), and narratives. Many maahmaah address pastoral life, water, travel, and kinship relations, reflecting the life from which they emerged. Some are constructed as parallel comparisons between two phrases of equal length.
Scholarly study
The study of maahmaah is known as paremiology. Scholars attempt to collect maahmaah, classify them by subject, and discuss how similar maahmaah recur across different languages. This similarity may stem from linguistic borrowing or from shared human experience.