The Jiiddu language (jii), situated in the linguistically diverse Lower Shabeelle region of Southwest Somalia, is “endangered” according to the Ethnologue “Size and Vitality of Jiiddu” assessment of the size of the Jiiddo tribe and the fact of intergenerational disruption (Eberhard, Simons and Fennig 2021). This case study of Jii language development efforts is a response to the Jiiddo community's request to “help preserve our linguistic heritage” (Ibrahim Ibro, in discussion with this researcher, 2010). The thesis comprises a literature review of sources from 1951 onward, including the Jii dictionary (S. Ibro 1998), and an account of language development activities to date. A trajectory for Jii revitalization efforts is proposed that is based on interviews with Jiiddo youth and elders and informed by the Sustainable Use Model (SUM) theory of Community-Based Language and Identity Development (CBLID). Especially critical to the future of Jii language development is the need to address the vital challenge of intergenerational disruption by increasing oral transmission of the language from parents to children.

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