What is Swahili

What is Swahili

Swahili (also known as "Kiswahili" -- "ki" is a prefix that means "language") is a

complex language spoken in East Africa. The language has ancient roots in the Bantu language family that extends across Central Africa. Swahili grammar is based on a complicated Bantu structure that learners often find difficult to master. Many words have entered Swahili from Arabic, the result of centuries of interaction between peoples along the coast. As with many other languages, loan words have entered Swahili from many places, particularly to name objects or concepts without pre-existing Swahili equivalents. Derivations of non-Bantu Swahili words can be traced to languages including English, German, Portuguese, Persian, Gujurati, Hindi, Hebrew, and even Chinese. Some Swahili words have entered other languages, most famously safari. The term "Waswahili," or Swahili people, sometimes refers to all Swahili speakers, and sometimes refers more specifically to some of the millions of people who live along the "Swahili Coast."
http://kamusiproject.org/?q=what_is_swahili

سعيد الرحبي

من مقر الشفط

08-04-09