Learn the top five reasons you should be learning to speak Swahili
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Medina: Hello everyone, I’m Medina. |
| Joshua: And I’m Joshua. Welcome to SwahiliPod101.com. This is All About Lesson 1 - Introduction to Kenya and the Swahili Language. Together we'll be your guides to everything Kenyan. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Medina: That's right. This first lesson is all about my home and native country. |
| Joshua: And mine, too. Kenya is great. |
| Medina: Kenya has great scenery and is famous for its good weather. And whether you’re visiting there or living there, Kenya is a multi-cultural country, so no matter your background, you will always find somebody from your own country. |
| Joshua: I think most of our listeners will be surprised at how unique Kenya is. So Medina, give me some statistics about Swahili. Some hard numbers our listeners can impress people with. |
| Medina: Well, first of all, there’s a lot of us Swahili speakers. Swahili happens to be the national language of Kenya, so that makes up 32 million people who speak the language. This also contributes to the 100 million people who speak Swahili worldwide. |
| Joshua: That’s a lot of people! |
| Medina: It is! Swahili was born when Asian communities interacted with people on the East Coast of Africa. It came about as a result of mixing many of the Bantu words of the coast people, with those of the Asian merchants. Most words have the Bantu intonation. But that doesn’t mean it’s hard to learn Swahili. |
| Joshua: Right. I mean, you only need to learn the sounds, which are not different from English. Swahili is easy to master since you pronounce the sounds as they are written. Learning Swahili is good because it means you can talk to a wide number of people on the African continent, especially in east, central and south Africa. |
| Medina: Yes, life in Africa will be much easier if you speak Swahili! |
| Joshua: Now let’s talk a bit about Kenya and Swahili linguistics. We’ll start off by saying that Kenya is a democratic country. |
| Medina: That’s right. Every five years, Kenyans have to vote for a new President and members of parliament. |
| Joshua: The current constitution introduced the position of a Prime minister, meaning the President doesn’t really hold that much power anymore. |
| Medina: So Kenya is among the many countries in Africa that have democratic elections. |
| Joshua: That’s correct. And its history goes way back. From about the 7th century on, Kenyan history underwent a big change, when Arab traders started coming to Kenya by ‘dhows’ or (boats) over the Indian Ocean. |
| Medina: During the 8th century, Arabs and Persians founded colonies along the coast, and came to dominate a large part of what is now Kenya for many centuries to come. |
| Joshua: This is how Swahili, together with English, which is the official language of Kenya, appeared – a Bantu language with many Arabic loan words. Swahili became the ‘lingua franca’ between the many tribes. |
| Medina: There is one important thing to note here. The Swahili spoken in the different regions of Africa can be understood by everyone, but there are accent variations. |
| Joshua: And that doesn’t cause any issues? |
| Medina: No, because Swahili has lots of shared words. Tanzania adopted Swahili as their national and official language. The purest form of Swahili in Kenya, is spoken along the coast. Inland, especially in Nairobi, Swahili has been influenced by Sheng. |
| Joshua: Sheng! Is that another language? |
| Medina: Some people think so. It’s slang that is commonly spoken in Nairobi. |
| Joshua: How different is it from Swahili? |
| Medina: It’s a mixture of Swahili and English, with a sprinkling of other indigenous languages. Sheng is now more than just slang. It has become a lifestyle, especially among the urban youth. |
| Joshua: But don’t worry too much about which you should learn, because speakers of Sheng can speak and understand pure Swahili. Medina, what else can you tell us about about Kenya? |
| Medina: Well, Kenya is an East African nation on the Indian Ocean that spans more than 224,000 sq. miles. It is situated on the equator and bordered by five countries - Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Tanzania. |
| Joshua: Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is located in the southwest. The other major cities are Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu. |
| Medina: That's right. Among the 36 million inhabitants, there are 42 ethnic groups who call Kenya home, and each group has its own unique language and culture. |
| Joshua: Weather-wise, Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. The weather varies in the different regions, as you’d expect. |
| Medina: It’s also a popular tourist destination. |
| Joshua: That’s right. It’s a country rich in wildlife, culture, history and beauty, and friendly, welcoming people. It’s geographically diverse, from snow-capped mountain peaks to large forests, to wide open plains. The big geographical attractions include the Great Rift Valley, with its extinct volcanoes and hot springs, and Kenya's coastline, complete with reefs and magnificent beaches. |
| Medina: I think the listeners understand why so many tourists visit Kenya now! |
| Joshua: To sum up, there are many advantages to learning Swahili. For example, for English speakers, Swahili is one of the easier languages to learn. English words are used so much in daily life, that some words have been added to the Swahili language. “Hello” is one of them. |
| Medina: Also, learning Swahili gives you an opportunity to make friends from all over the world, because Kenya is a place with lots of interesting people. |
| Medina: And finally, learning Swahili is fun! |
| Joshua: Of course it is! In our lessons, we’ll show you the easiest way to get the most out of Kenyan culture and make new Kenyan friends! |
| Medina: Definitely! |
Outro |
| Joshua: Okay everybody, are you ready? Get out your pen and notebook, grab your iPhone, fire up your computer, and whatever else you use to study - and get ready for some Swahili lessons from SwahiliPod101.com! We’ll see you next time! |
| Medina: Bye. |
Comments
HideHi Everyone!
Please share with us your reasons for studying Swahili!
Jambo Max,
That is a very noble reason for learning Swahili. You will enjoy a lot by learning with Swahilipod101.com. You are right. We remain optimistic that Africa will develop at a high rate in the 21st century.
Joshua
Team swahilipod101.com
Habari!
I am learning Swahili to be able to learn about Africa's rich history. In some ways, Africa is held back by imposed limitations such as language and political borders. Africa is expected grow very rapidly in the 21st century, and Swahili will be an important tool to bring people together.
Jambo Chelsea,
I did not understand "It's is so aswam". Let us try this again. Continue enjoying the Swahili learning experience.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
It's is so aswam
Jambo Gaspard,
We are also so happy to have you with us. Continue enjoying the Swahili learning experience.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
I'm so happy to be with you
Jambo Diana,
Wow, Kenya is surely a beautiful country and Swahili is a beautiful language too. With daily practice the noun classes will be simple for you. Continue browsing through this website and feel free to ask any question here or in premium plus Swahili chats.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
Hi everybody ! Yes , I have been to Kenya. I have such happy memories of beautiful Kenya . That is why I'm learning Swahili - for fun , and to learn it properly . I lived in Uganda as a child and there I learnt to speak "kitchen Swahili " which is , I suppose , a watered down version of the pure "kiswahili" .Sonce then I have forgotten nearly all of it ! I went to boarding school in Eldoret because in Uganda there were no secondary schools . I find Swahili fun to learn but very complicated in some ways with all the different classes of nouns , being just one example . I am also learning because it's my daily "brain gym" .
Jambo Eugene,
Wow that some love for this beautiful language. I hope so too.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
I really hope that Kiswahili becomes the national language of Africa.
Hi Manar,
Welcome to the course. We're glad to have you here.
Please stay tuned! Every week we'll have new lessons for you!
:wink:
Cristiane
Team SwahiliPod101.com
I'm very excited to learn Swahili :)
Jambo LaToya,
You are welcome to swahiliPod101.com. Here you will learn, understand and be able to speak like a native. Browse through our resources and you will learn a lot. Do not hesitate to ask for further explanations in any area that you may fail to understand.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
I love the beauty and uniqueness of Kenya and Swahili so I want to get a head start at learning before I take it in college. I think it's great to learn and my husband speaks Swahili already so it would be nice to communicate with him in his native language.
Jambo Lindsay,
We are glad you are browsing through our resources.Continue doing so and you will be able to communicate in Swahili.
Joshua
Team swahiliPod101.com
I am travelling with nursing students to Tanzania to work in a women's clinic for 3 weeks. I would like to be able to communicate somewhat with the people there while we are there.
Hi Joyce,
You are at the right place. Here at SwahiliPod.com we have the resources that will enable you to communicate with your daughter to give her the much needed support she needs from you. Keep using the lessons to study this interesting language.
Joshua
Team swahiliPod101.com
My daughter is studying Swahili in college and I would like to communicate with her.
Sijambo Amos
Habari za Kenya ni nzuri. Joto tu ndio nyingi. You can use the available resources and subscribe to
https://myteacher.innovativelanguage.com where you will get more engagement through chat and assignments. It is true that by July you will be at an advanced level if you keep it here to use the available resources. Introduce yourself in Swahili is the first assignment at myteacher.
Joshua
Team SwahiliPod101.com
Hujambo, Rafiki yangu.
Habari za Kenya?
Nime furaha ku juana na wewe, I am finding this site really helpful and i will really want to know how i can get engaged full time because nilipenda ku sema kiswahili sana. Do you think its possible to sustain a conversation for thirty minutes by july? Mungu aku bariki sana.