Do you speak Swahili?
Feb 12th, 2008 | 04:36 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 116
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Do you speak Swahili?
A question for those of you who travel often to East Africa - if Swahili is not your first language, do you speak it? How did you learn it?
Just curious as I would like to learn the language (at least partially) before I return to East Africa.
Just curious as I would like to learn the language (at least partially) before I return to East Africa.
Feb 12th, 2008 | 05:02 PM
#2
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 428
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I learned a few basics from the Internet and from a disc called In-Flight Swahili which I copied to my iPod. I was shocked to find out that not everybody does this. My guides and drivers were delighted, and everywhere I went, I learned a bit more, just by asking people how to say something in Swahili.
I hope Nyamera picks up this thread as she seems to be REALLY learning Swahili.
Jess
I hope Nyamera picks up this thread as she seems to be REALLY learning Swahili.
Jess
Feb 13th, 2008 | 07:25 AM
#6
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,309
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Jess, I wish I really were learning. I’ve used Colloquial Swahili by Donovan McGrath and Lutz Marten and I have dictionaries and a grammar book. I should be reading and translating every day, but I don’t. In Kenya I’m always trying to avoid disastrous communications problems, so language training is less important. When I have some time to just talk to someone, I usually ask about that person’s mother tongue and don’t speak that much Swahili. Now I have to read something in Swahili!
I’ve looked at the Rosetta Stone, but it’s expensive.
I’ve looked at the Rosetta Stone, but it’s expensive.
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Feb 13th, 2008 | 08:27 AM
#8
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 118
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We used the Pimsleur product (10 CD's) prior to our first safari and are using it again for second. You won't be able to conduct conversations, but you will be able to greet and be polite, order coffee, water or beer, and enjoy the enthusiastic response you will get from camp staff and local folks. If you also learn the Kiswahili words for the different animals, you can drive your guide nuts by guessing at what the folks on the radio are talking about.
For the occasional traveler to East Africa, the Pimsleur product is fine, augmented by some other vocabulary lists from the internet. Price is less that $40 US, how can you go wrong?
Jim.
For the occasional traveler to East Africa, the Pimsleur product is fine, augmented by some other vocabulary lists from the internet. Price is less that $40 US, how can you go wrong?
Jim.
Feb 13th, 2008 | 09:32 AM
#9
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 437
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I also used the 'in flight' Swahili CD. First I tried the 'teach yourself Swahili' book/CD, but it was way too hard. I was looking for a quick and easy way to learn a few courtesy phrases, I wasn't actually motivated to sit down and learn the language.
It is definitely worth it, and relatively easy, to learn a few phrases. Just being able to say please and thank you is a good start! The pronunciation is also doable -- after all, we don't need to sound perfect, just good enough to be understood. Just remember that the word stress tends to be on the second to last syllable. You can remember this rule by thinking of the word 'saFAri'. See, you speak a little Swahili already!
Some of you may also remember my story of the annoying birdwatcher sharing the Landrover (no disrespect to birdwatchers, but we would spend 45 minutes in one spot looking at very ordinary birds, which was longer than we spent looking at Lions or Leopards!). Anyway, a discreet "twende tafadhatli" murmured to the guide got us going again, without any confrontations!
I didn't go beyond a few words, because I wasn't motivated enough for the memorization and grammar. It turns out that Swahili is a very highly inflected language -- this means that if you learn the word for a particular noun, you then find that the word varies according to the part of speech. In fact, I was amazed at how similar to Latin it was in that respect. But one thing I had a lot of trouble wrapping my brain around is that the changes are prefixed to the word, rather than suffixed.
In English, for example, I can speak about one 'boy' or two 'boys' -- with an 'S' added at the end. In Swahili, you could say mtoto (meaning a child), but if you want to say two children it changes to watoto wili -- the 'm' changes to 'wa' at the beginning of the word. This really confused my brain, because my brain does an alphabetic filing system, and 'mtoto' was already filed under the letter 'M'!
I'd suggest starting with something really easy, to whet your appetite, and then you can decide whether to go on and learn more methodically or not.
It is definitely worth it, and relatively easy, to learn a few phrases. Just being able to say please and thank you is a good start! The pronunciation is also doable -- after all, we don't need to sound perfect, just good enough to be understood. Just remember that the word stress tends to be on the second to last syllable. You can remember this rule by thinking of the word 'saFAri'. See, you speak a little Swahili already!
Some of you may also remember my story of the annoying birdwatcher sharing the Landrover (no disrespect to birdwatchers, but we would spend 45 minutes in one spot looking at very ordinary birds, which was longer than we spent looking at Lions or Leopards!). Anyway, a discreet "twende tafadhatli" murmured to the guide got us going again, without any confrontations!
I didn't go beyond a few words, because I wasn't motivated enough for the memorization and grammar. It turns out that Swahili is a very highly inflected language -- this means that if you learn the word for a particular noun, you then find that the word varies according to the part of speech. In fact, I was amazed at how similar to Latin it was in that respect. But one thing I had a lot of trouble wrapping my brain around is that the changes are prefixed to the word, rather than suffixed.
In English, for example, I can speak about one 'boy' or two 'boys' -- with an 'S' added at the end. In Swahili, you could say mtoto (meaning a child), but if you want to say two children it changes to watoto wili -- the 'm' changes to 'wa' at the beginning of the word. This really confused my brain, because my brain does an alphabetic filing system, and 'mtoto' was already filed under the letter 'M'!
I'd suggest starting with something really easy, to whet your appetite, and then you can decide whether to go on and learn more methodically or not.
Feb 14th, 2008 | 04:41 AM
#12
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,493
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Dear Otis (scientific name for Bustard??) ;-)
i quote:
<i>"If you also learn the Kiswahili words for the different animals, you can drive your guide nuts by guessing at what the folks on the radio are talking about"</i>
<b> ??? </b>
when did you ever hear your drivers say "Simba" ??
(very rarely...Kenya drivers use driver's slang calling lions "big heads" & Tanzanians call them "moustache/d"...)
or what does your book say about "Pembe" - which animal is it ?
<font color="red">
Mind you: the following lines are top secret (for Wazungu).
</font> The association of driver-guides will probably take measures against me
Spotted cats are called 'spotted' = "Madoadoa"
Cheetah ("Duma" in kiSwahili) is called "Madoadoa ya chini". Leopard (= "Chui"
is called "Madoadoa ya juu". In many cases they say only "Madoadoa" (spotted) & even the drivers don't always know before getting to the place what is it exactly (they don't always ask).
"Pembe" is short for "Pembe moja" = one horn = Rhino.
Lion is called "Kichwa kubwa" or simply "Kichwa" or "Vichwa" (plural) in Kenya. in Tz it's "MaSharubu"... in many cases in Kenya, drivers signal with the palms of their hands (facing one another) instead of saying the name
<font color="green"> on the other hand, many drivers do not know the proper kiSwahili names of rarer animals;
e.g. most drivers i've encountered didn't know what a "Tandala" is...
in those days, in Tsavo-Amboseli, i was mad about Lesser Kudu. drivers simply called them Kudu (or Kundu)
</font>
aby
P.S.
"Sasa?" (~ what's now?) is a more common slang than aying "Habari...?"
what does the book say about the answer "poa" ??
i quote:
<i>"If you also learn the Kiswahili words for the different animals, you can drive your guide nuts by guessing at what the folks on the radio are talking about"</i>
<b> ??? </b>
when did you ever hear your drivers say "Simba" ??
(very rarely...Kenya drivers use driver's slang calling lions "big heads" & Tanzanians call them "moustache/d"...)
or what does your book say about "Pembe" - which animal is it ?
<font color="red">
Mind you: the following lines are top secret (for Wazungu).
</font> The association of driver-guides will probably take measures against me
Spotted cats are called 'spotted' = "Madoadoa"
Cheetah ("Duma" in kiSwahili) is called "Madoadoa ya chini". Leopard (= "Chui"
is called "Madoadoa ya juu". In many cases they say only "Madoadoa" (spotted) & even the drivers don't always know before getting to the place what is it exactly (they don't always ask)."Pembe" is short for "Pembe moja" = one horn = Rhino.
Lion is called "Kichwa kubwa" or simply "Kichwa" or "Vichwa" (plural) in Kenya. in Tz it's "MaSharubu"... in many cases in Kenya, drivers signal with the palms of their hands (facing one another) instead of saying the name
<font color="green"> on the other hand, many drivers do not know the proper kiSwahili names of rarer animals;
e.g. most drivers i've encountered didn't know what a "Tandala" is...
in those days, in Tsavo-Amboseli, i was mad about Lesser Kudu. drivers simply called them Kudu (or Kundu)
</font>
aby
P.S.
"Sasa?" (~ what's now?) is a more common slang than aying "Habari...?"
what does the book say about the answer "poa" ??
Feb 14th, 2008 | 04:48 AM
#13
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,493
Likes: 0
a very good dictionary is the ex-Yale 'Kamusi Project'
needs now some contributions
http://www.yale.edu/swahili/
http://www.kamusiproject.org/
needs now some contributions
http://www.yale.edu/swahili/
http://www.kamusiproject.org/
Feb 14th, 2008 | 05:03 AM
#14
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,440
Likes: 0
Aby,
Thanks for popping in from Costa Rica with the secret translations. Those are keepers!
In Kenya, I did hear chatter about duma, the Swahili word for cheetah.
At Mombo most of the radio chatter was in English and cheetahs were referred to as skunks when I was there.
Thanks for popping in from Costa Rica with the secret translations. Those are keepers!
In Kenya, I did hear chatter about duma, the Swahili word for cheetah.
At Mombo most of the radio chatter was in English and cheetahs were referred to as skunks when I was there.
Feb 14th, 2008 | 05:06 AM
#15
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
I've learned a lot of useful phrases from the "Talk Now" interactive CDs. The Kids ones are fun.
HOWEVER it is wrong to think everyone will speak Swahili. As much as English is a second language so is Swahili. Maybe you should learn a few gretings in Meru, Kikuyu, Luo etc.
As for Sheng!
"Vipi?"
"Fit sana"
"Mambo?"
"Mambo poa!"
or even the outstretched fist for a "gorta"
HOWEVER it is wrong to think everyone will speak Swahili. As much as English is a second language so is Swahili. Maybe you should learn a few gretings in Meru, Kikuyu, Luo etc.
As for Sheng!
"Vipi?"
"Fit sana"
"Mambo?"
"Mambo poa!"
or even the outstretched fist for a "gorta"
Feb 14th, 2008 | 01:06 PM
#19
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,309
Likes: 0
The Maa word for nyamera is olkondi. It’ll be my new screen name when I decide to only write serious posts.
Swahili is very good to know as it’s used between most people who don’t share a mother tongue and it’s the game drive radio language, even if code words are used. An expression used to say that there isn’t anything interesting where you’re coming from is “topi peke yake tu”. It’s quite offensive, and not only because the correct Swahili word isn’t used. BTW, in Luo nyamera means “tribal sister”.
I know enough Swahili to write emails with the help of a dictionary.
Swahili is very good to know as it’s used between most people who don’t share a mother tongue and it’s the game drive radio language, even if code words are used. An expression used to say that there isn’t anything interesting where you’re coming from is “topi peke yake tu”. It’s quite offensive, and not only because the correct Swahili word isn’t used. BTW, in Luo nyamera means “tribal sister”.
I know enough Swahili to write emails with the help of a dictionary.
