Swahili Language and Cultures

Alwiya S. Omar

STARTALK May 2009

Swahili or Kiswahili

One of the major languages spoken in Eastern and Central Africa

It is the official language of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

Swahili is also spoken in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Somalia

There are about 60 million people who speak Swahili - only about 3 million people are first language speakers and others speak it as a fluent 2nd or or as a 3rd language

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Varieties of Swahili

There are over 11 varieties of Swahili spoken along the East African coast

Some of these dialects are Kiamu spoken in Lamu island, Kiunguja spoken in Unguja island (Zanzibar), Kimvita spoken in Mombasa

Standard Swahili is based on the Kiunguja variety

Swahili script

Initially Swahili was written using Arabic script as early as the 17th century because of the Arabs who came to the East African coast as traders and rulers

It was replaced by the Roman alphabet by European missionaries in order to produce religious materials

Roman script was adapted and regularized in standard orthography in the 1930s

Swahili words you already know

Hakuna matata Safari Asante sana Kwanzaa (African American celebration) ‘first

fruits’ and the seven principles some of which are:

- Umoja ‘Unity’- Kujichagulia ‘Self determination’- Nia ‘Purpose’

Swahili language

Swahili is a Bantu language of the Niger Congo family

It is characterized by Noun Class grammatical genders

Nouns are grouped into classes associated roughly with semantic characteristics - people, trees, things, abstract concepts, etc

Concordial system - noun/verb and noun/adjective agreement

Language borrowings

Due to long interaction with other language speakers, Swahili has many borrowed words like:

- Kitabu ‘book’ (Arabic) (plural vitabu)- Shati ‘shirt’ (English) (plural mashati)- Bendera ‘Flag’ (Portuguese)- Serikali ‘Governemnt’ (Persian)- Shule ‘School’ (German)

Swahili cultures

Swahili speakers have a unique way of telling the time:

- 1st hour of the day begins after sunrise and not after midnight

7am = saa moja asubuhi

‘hour one morning’- 1st hour of the night begins after sunset

7pm = saa moja usiku

‘hour one night’

Swahili cultures

Unique to Swahili speakers is the way they communicate to each other indirectly using proverbial messages on the traditional cloth called ‘kanga’ also known as ‘leso’

Kangas are also given as gifts and they have multiple purposes

Baby carrier

Arabic script

Kanga messages

1. Expression of love

2. Expression of gratitude

3. Praying to God

4. Giving advice and warnings

5. Innuendos

Example of a scenario from Swahili Standards: Family - Beginning level Targeted Standards

1.1 Interpersonal communication

1.2 Interpretive Communication

2.1 Cultural practices

4.2 Cultural comparisons

Scenario

Students listen to a Swahili speaker presenting his/her family tree and/or family photograph(s). Students learn Swahili kinship names and how they differ from those in English. With this vocabulary, students complete their own family tree, share information about their families with the class, and ask their classmates about their families.

Reflection

How the Standards are Met

1.1 Students exchange information in Swahili about their family members and ancestors.

1.2 Students listen to family tree presentations in Swahili.

2.1 Students learn about Swahili family relationships

4.2 Students contrast Swahili family relationships with those of their own culture.

Extensions

Students who might be uncomfortable discussing their family, could create a family tree for a friend or famous person instead. The activity could be combined with a lesson on introductions, with students introducing their family members with simple sentences such as, Huyu ni baba yangu. Jina lake ni ... (This is my father. His name is ...). At intermediate level, students could discuss the various roles played by different family members, and role play family situations.

Extensions (cont)

This scenario could be adapted for intermediate and advanced levels requiring students to provide more detailed information about family members. Intermediate or advanced students might interview a Swahili speaker in their community and trace that person’s ancestry, or research the family tree(s) of famous East Africans.

References

STANDARDS FOR LEARNING SWAHILI AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

A project of the National African Language Recourse Center (NALRC) in collaboration with the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA)

http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/conMediaFile.1893/Map-of-the-Swahili-speaking-community.html

Swahili languages and Cultures

Thank You

For questions, please contact

Alwiya S. Omar

aomar@indiana.edu