Students will be introduced into the Swahili language. This is a language that is widely spoken in East, Southern, and Central Africa in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa- among others.

Swahili resulted from intermarriages between the Arab traders and the various Bantu-speaking people along the East African coast. The monsoon prevailing winds played a key role in promoting these interactions. There are various Bantu languages along the east African coast which led to the springing up of various Swahili dialects. As a result, the Swahili language shares a lot in common with the various Bantu languages along the east African coast and the Arabic language.

In this course, the students will learn the basics of the language – where it is spoken, the origins of Swahili, the Swahili alphabet and M/Wa nouns (a teacher = mwalimu, teachers = walimu, etc). They will also have some practice problems at the end (Part 9 = sehemu ya tisa). From Dr. Paul S.’s experience, taking this course (parts 1-9) will allow the students to be able to read and write in Swahili.

We plan to build on this and increase vocabulary and practice sessions and also include everyday conversations and phrases to help students advance their knowledge of Swahili.