Name:
Address:
Affiliation:
Phone number:
e-mail:
Sanne Verhoef & Maaike Verrips
P.O. Box 16584, 1001 RB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
De Taalstudio
+31 (0)20 5285077
sverhoef@taalstudio.nl
Somali language analysed in asylum cases
When a foreign citizen applies for asylum in the Netherlands, doubts may arise regarding the
nationality, regional origin or ethnic background of the applicant, in particular when they
cannot show any documents to prove their claims. In such cases, the Immigration and
Naturalisation Service can offer the asylum seeker the opportunity to dispel these doubts by
means of a language analysis. Refusal to take part in the language analysis is likely to have
a negative effect (for the asylum seeker) on the outcome of the procedure. In a language
analysis the language(s) spoken by the foreign citizen as well as his knowledge about his
claimed culture and region of origin are evaluated. If the language analysis indicates that the
foreign citizen "definitely can not be traced to” the claimed area or country of origin, it is
assumed in the following phase of the procedure that the foreign citizen does not originate
from there. The outcome of language analyses may be crucial for the Dutch government’s
decision whether to grant asylum or not.
In the Netherlands, language analyses are carried out by the Bureau Land en Taal
(Office for Country Information and Language Analysis) of the Immigration and Naturalisation
Service. First the asylum seeker is interviewed by a Dutch-speaking official with the help of
an interpreter. This interview, which usually lasts 30 to 50 minutes is recorded on a CD. The
asylum seeker is asked questions about his background, for example about local customs,
typical food of the country and names of towns and villages in the area. He is asked to
answer extensively while using his own language variety. After the interview takes place, a
language analyst, who is never the same person as the interpreter, listens to the recorded
interview. He lays down his findings in a written “language analysis report”. The report
discusses the asylum seeker’s knowledge of his claimed geographical region and culture and
describes his language use, illustrated with examples of pronunciation, word-choice and
grammar. The language analyst generally is a native speaker of the language that is
analysed, and not necessarily a professional linguist. He writes his report under supervision
of a linguist, who does not necessarily speak the language that is concerned.
When an asylum seeker disagrees with the outcome of a language analysis, he has
the right to have a contra-expertise (second opinion) carried out by an independent
organisation or expert, at his own cost. De Taalstudio is an independent linguistic company
that offers such contra-expertises carried out by professional linguists.
In the case of asylum seekers claiming to originate from Somalia, language analysis
may be used to investigate various types of questions about their origin. These questions are
directly related to the policy in force regarding the assessment of asylum applications. For
some asylum seekers who claim to originate from Somalia, language analysis is used to
investigate whether they can be traced to Somalia at all. For others, the language analysis
focuses on the question whether the person belongs to a particular clan or minority. Currently
language analyses of speakers of Somali often focus on whether they can be traced either to
relatively safe Northern Somalia or to relatively unsafe Southern Somalia.
In this presentation we will discuss language analysis procedures in the Netherlands
in general and cases involving the Somali language in particular.