Swahili Language Program only $19.95

Study Swahili

The Swahili Language Program contains 14 hours of audio, and one textbook in PDF file format with 586 pages.

The Swahili Language Program aims first of all at assisting the student to develop ability in understanding and speaking everyday Swahili of a standard variety. On the basis of well-established speech habits, he can then go on with relatively high efficiency to the further skills of reading and writing.

The pronunciation of Swahili varies slightly from one geographical area to another. In addition, since most speakers of Swahili have learned it after first learning some other language, there are noticeable discrepancies among the speech of persons with different national or tribal backgrounds. The following notes do not attempt to set forth any of these variations but only to indicate those points which are essential to an intelligible and widely acceptable pronunciation of the language.

Drills are recorded first for listening, then for familiarization through repetition, and finally for participation. During the participation step, when the student performs the required manipulation, his utterances are confirmed on the audio immediately following the space provided for his participation.

Drills are generally in two groups in any unit: a) variation drills on pattern sentences, which provide opportunities for the student to develop flexibility in the use of patterns already memorized, and b) grammar drills, which are intended to provide practice for the student in the operation of the patterns explained in the immediately preceding grammar notes.

About the Swahili Language

Africa has more languages than any other continent. Swahili is one of these languages. It belongs to a group called "Bantu". One of the characteristics of the Bantu languages is lack of articles and gender.

The nouns in these tongues are grouped into "classes" by means of their nominal prefixes, eg. m, wa, ki, and vi. The name "Swahili" is derived from the Arabic word sawahel, which means "coasts." Swahili is therefore the language of the people of the coast of East Africa. Although Swahili contains a number of loan words, mostly from Arabic, Swahili is essentially an African language. In the nineteenth century, Bishop Steere of Zanzibar regarded Swahili as a key to the understanding of the culture of East Africa. His remark was very much to the point, for by learning Swahili, one learns at the same time the cultural values of the Swahili speaking people.