We know Swahili is easy to learn because it is not a tonal language. Pigments: A series Exploring the Art of Body-Painting in Africa. Also known as Kiswahili, the language is a Bantu language believed to have originated from other languages, specifically languages not native to Africa such as Arabic and Portuguese, following historical East African interactions with speakers of those languages. Swahili (Kiswahili) is the official language but English remains widely spoken and is the principal language of commerce. It is widely debated how many people in the world speak Swahili, but most estimates say between 100 and 150 million. Currently, Swahili is a national language of four countries, namely Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and the DRC. Today, the word is growing smaller every day. Swahili is widely used as a lingua franca in: (1) Tanzania, where it is the language of administration and primary education; (2) Kenya, where it is, after English, the main language for these purposes; (3) Congo (Kinshasa), where a form of Swahili is one of the four languages of administration, the main language for this purpose being French; and (4) Uganda, where the main language is again English. Their day starts at 6 or 7 am and this has been explained as a consequence of the equatorial placement of the countries that speak the language. Most of these are tribal languages with small economies and with little connection to the academic, scientific, technological and political dynamics that move the world. List of official, national and spoken languages of Africa. Swahili is an official language of Tanzania, and is a national language in Kenya and Uganda. Take our weekly Africa Quiz and test your knowledge on Africa and its culture, countries, tribes, history and so much more. It is the lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of eastern and south-eastern Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'autolingual_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',112,'0','0'])); The origin of Swahili, however, was a little more to the north, namely in Kenya, where the Swahili language developed from a Bantu language called Pokomo. Swahili is the official and most commonly used language in Tanzania. In Uganda, Swahili is associated with the totalitarian regime of Idi Amin as he forced Swahili to be the country’s official language, hence its rejection by many Ugandans. One reason for the decline might be that Swahili was the language of the military. They were letters written in the Kilwa region. Human beings, for example, belong to one class: mtu ‘person’ / wat… Swahili has … How hard is it to learn? And things move fast – if you don’t want to be left behind, you need to adapt. Small communities equally exist in Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia. One could argue that it was a kind of early globalism. Basically, the time is measured from sunrise to sunset. https://www.tuko.co.ke/341859-15-spoken-languages-africa-2020.html African History according to its culture, chieftaincy, politics, democracy and so forth. Methali is a play on words, puns and lyrical rhyming and a very dominant feature of the Swahili language. Africa is a continent with a very high linguistic diversity, there are an estimated 1500-2000 African languages. However, it is also easy to read as words are pronounced as they are written, just like in Latin. The country does not have a de jure official language, although the national language is Swahili. Shikomor, an official language in Comoros and … Looking at Africa through its Art, and those who create it. Local rappers and musicians often employ methali in their music. Currently, Swahili is a national language of four countries, namely Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and the DRC. With a greater focus on Swahili, a language actually spoken by the people, keeping up with the rest of the world gets a lot easier. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'autolingual_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',113,'0','0'])); Recent initiatives by the Ugandan government has tried to push the teaching of Swahili forward, but with little luck. Of these languages four main groupings can be distinguished: Afro-Asiatic Swahili Language is widely spoken in Africa and around the world with many Swahili people and children living in many countries of the world. English, for many, is the language of the future. Republic of the Congo. Swahili is spoken in a wide area from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique and in all of Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. For a lot of East African countries, Swahili has become this lingua franca. Swahili is an official language in Uganda but outside the capital Kampala, the language is hardly ever spoken as it carries dreadful sentiments for the people. Swahili is used in parliamentary debate, in the Swahili is said to be the easiest African language for an English speaker to … Neither America, nor Africa is the same as it was a few hundred years ago. Swahili was a language that relatively few spoke as their first language, but which a significant amount of people speak as a second language. Swahili is the national language of Tanzania, but despite this fact, only about 10% of the population speak Swahili as their mother tongue, whereas 90% speak it as a second language. This is still the case today, despite the growing influence of English. The Swahili language spoken by 100 million people, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. Meet Dr. Esther Mahlangu one of South Africa’s most famous artists. The app teaches users how to read, write and pronounce Swahili Language. Swahili is spoken by an estimated 90 million people in Africa alone, and is the most widely-spoken African language. 30% of the Swahili vocabulary is borrowed from Arabic. Swahili is the most spoken language in Africa, with over 140 million speakers. Six intriguing facts about the Swahili language you probably didn’t know, Image source: https://www.fluentin3months.com/swahili/, Enter your email to receive news and updates on the latest African narratives, Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Five unique traditions only Moroccans will understand, Africa And The Culture Of Body Modification, Africa has the biggest reserve of precious metals, A brief history of the Ghanaian delicacy, Waakye. There are also many local African languages, reflecting the tribal diversity of the country, Outside the cities and towns, far fewer local people speak English. In The Democratic Republic of Congo, Swahili is spoken widely as a second language, but people who speak Swahili as their native language are very few. Most Spoken Language. Swahili is thought to be an old language. Swahili belongs to the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Swahili uses the same … English (official language, taught in schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages and the language used most often in the capital), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili … Even the name of the language “Swahili” comes from the Arabic “سَوَاحِل “(sawāḥil) which is the plural form of the word for “coast”, referring to the people living on the coast. Swahili, unlike other African languages, is not tonal, making it very easy to learn. The Swahili language is spoken in several African countries. It is also widely spoken in Rwanda and Burundi but very few speak the language in Uganda. This is why Swahili is beginning being made an official language in many East African countries. It is, in large part, because of this relationship with the Arabic language, as well as the Muslim religion, that Swahili had become so wide-spread. In other countries such as Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, The Comoros Islands, Mozambique and Somalia, only small minorities speak Swahili. In Africa, this is very much the case. Nouns are grouped into different classes according to their meaning. The Swahili language is spoken in several African countries. It is a language spoken in many African countries including; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The language is also recognized by law as the official language in the country. It is also written in the Latin alphabet. For example, Swahili utilizes over 13 noun classes, the equivalence of a romance language having 13 genders. It is understood by 80% of the population of Niger and by 45% of Nigerians. The earliest piece of written Swahili documents dates to 1711. Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people. Most Widely Spoken Languages ___ Official and Spoken Languages of African Countries. The African continent speaks thousands of languages. This makes for around 5,5 million native speakers. One would assume that since Swahili had its origins in Kenya, this country would have a large community of native Swahili speakers. Pronouncing Words in Swahili Start with the 5 basic vowel sounds in Swahili. The Swahili language, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language widely spoken in lots of African countries as a first or a second language. 10 Greatest inventions that hailed from Africa. Three full noun classes are devoted to different aspects of space and time. Swahili is also spoken in a number of other countries in the region, including the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, northern Mozambique and Somalia. Many countries, not only in Africa, but in the world has put a stronger focus on the teaching of English as a second language. The beauty in what looks like torture that comes with Lip Plates. English 7% (official), Afrikaans is common language of most of the population and of about 60% of the white population, German 32%; indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama Languages in Nepal Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. The Swahili language is a language widely spoken in East Africa. This app ensures that the Swahili culture and tradition is kept from generation to generation. This geographic phenomenon happens at the same time in all countries where Swahili is spoken in Africa. Swahili (Kiswahili among its speakers) is a Bantu language spoken in East and Central Africa. These letters were written to the Portuguese people of Mozambique and other local allies. Hadithi Africa is a contemporary educative platform that promotes and showcases the African narrative. But In most African countries, English remains a language spoken by educated people. If Swahili is the language most widely spread and consequently the most international, Hausa is certainly the language most spoken south of the Sahara, thanks to the major density of the population concentrated in western Africa. This is mainly why more and more African countries are starting to revise their language policies. Example: Wapiganapo tembo wawili ziumiazo nyasiLiteral translation: When two elephants fight it’s the grass that gets hurtMeaning: When the rich and powerful contend with each other it is the weak and powerless who pay the price. The reason might be that the East African countries speak a large amount of tribal languages. Explore all African Countries. there is a challenge of language barrier between out traders with their counterparts and consumers from other east African countries. Swahili, like many African languages, has dialects but interestingly some Swahili some dialects are so varied that other Swahili speakers cannot discern even though they may be in the same country. The most spoken languages in Africa (that is indigenous to Africa) are roughly tied between Swahili, dialects of Arabic, and Hausa. It’s a language that’s very different from the local tribal languages and learning it, for many, is easier said than done. Currently, Swahili is a national language of four countries, namely Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and the DRC. There’s no doubt that the propagation of Swahili caused quite a stir in local communities. Swahili is a language of the Bantu branch of languages in the Niger-Congo language family. In Uganda, Swahili is associated with the totalitarian regime of Idi Amin as he forced Swahili to be the country’s official language, hence its rejection by many Ugandans. It is the national language of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the DRC, and is used as the “lingua franca” throughout East and Southeast Africa. Swahili is the national language of Tanzania, which is home to 59.7 million people. Over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa. Many small communities speak their own language among themselves, which means that other means of communication are needed to be able to communicate with other communities. The Swahili language originally developed from the Pokomo Bantu language of Kenya and it developed into a trade language used throughout the region. Get to know Africa by Country. But there are dozens of other languages spoken in Africa with tens of millions of speakers — and the number of people who speak them isn’t always clear. Swahili, unlike other African languages, is not tonal, making it very easy to learn. An important part of Swahili vocabulary bear witness to Swahili’s role as a language of trade. It is also widely spoken in Uganda and the eastern provinces of Zaire. To date, the remains of the documents are preserved in the Historical Archive of Goa in India. Linguistic Comparison of Swahili and English Swahili is a language widely spoken throughout countries in Africa such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and more countries in Mid/East Africa (Swahili Language, Stanford). Languages spoken in neighboring countries of the world speak Swahili at a higher. Day, starts at midnight but not in Swahili most spoken language in,! 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