Speech synthesis or text-to-speech (TTS) systems are currently available for a number of the world’s major languages, but for thousands of other, unsupported, languages no such technology is available. While awaiting the development of such technology, we propose using an existing TTS system for a major language (the base language, BL) to “fake” TTS for an unsupported language (the target langu...

This annotated bibliography focuses on issues of power, participation and governance in relation to Somali networks. There is a healthy body of academic literature examining Somali social structures, including networks and clans. Specific detail on the power relations and differentials between and within clans, however, is scarce. Experts attribute this lack of knowledge to the complexity and f...

Over the past few years, piracy has exploded off the coast of Somalia. The Somali pirates congregate on a mother ship and then divide into smaller groups that sail out on tiny skiffs. Using potent weapons like AK-47’s and hand-propelled grenades, the Somali pirates then attack civilian ships carrying cargo through the Gulf of Aden, toward South Africa or Asia. Once they have overtaken the victi...

The pilot study was conducted to test the appropriateness of a nutrition and food security survey and estimate the prevalence of food security and its relationship with dietary intake habits among Somali refugees (n = 35) resettled in the United States. The other main objective was to estimate the association between acculturation and dietary intake habits. The interviews with the Somali mother...

OBJECTIVE To study the frequencies of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and their associations with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in immigrant Somalis seen at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. PATIENTS AND METHODS We determined the frequencies of HBV and HCV infection and HCC in immigrant Somalis seen at Mayo Clinic from July 1, 1996, through October 3...

BACKGROUND Somali-born women constitute one of the largest groups of childbearing refugee women in Sweden after more than two decades of political violence in Somalia. In Sweden, these women encounter antenatal care that includes routine questions about violence being asked. The aim of the study was to explore how Somali-born women understand and relate to violence and wellbeing during their mi...

The chewing of khat leaves is an established tradition in East Africa but is much less prevalent in other areas of the world and is mostly limited to Somali communities. However, our understanding of what constitutes problematic khat use in the Somali community in Victoria, Australia, is limited. The objectives of this study were to better understand the views of Somali community representative...