Learn Swahili online

Swahili, Suaheli, Kiswahili or Kisuaheli? All spellings mean the same language. The variants were created by different transmissions to German. On Swahili itself is the language Kiswahili. The prefix Ki- characterizes languages and cultures in Bantu languages.

The name reveals the origin. Sawāḥil is arabic for “Great" and exactly there Swahili was born over a thousand years ago. Bantu-speaking coastal inhabitants met Arab and Persian traders who came across the Indian Ocean. From this exchange, a language that connects both worlds grew.
For learners is Swahili, and Lingala, a good entry into the Bantu language family. The debate is regular, the grammar follows clear patterns.

No other African language has achieved a similar status internationally as Swahili. Swahili is the only language of African origin recognised as a working language in high-level diplomatic circles.

The history of Swahili begins at East coast of Africa, where around 800 AD Bantu-speaking peoples settled. The coast stretched from Mogadischu in today's Somalia to Mozambique and was not a remote edge, but a gateway to the world. The Indian Ocean linked Africa with Arabia, Persia and India.
Dealers sailed with the northeast to Africa and waiting there for months to the southwest monsoon that brought her back. During this time they lived in the port cities of Mombasa, Sansibar and Kilwa, traded, married and sometimes stayed forever. Over centuries a language grew out of this coexistencethat connects both worlds.

Grammar is Swahili a Bantu language through and through. The set structure, the class system for nouns and the kind of verbs are built from the Bantu language family, which includes over 500 languages in sub-Saharan Africa.
The vocabulary, however, tells another story.
In addition to Arab other cultures have also left their mark. The Persian brought words as chai for tea and serikali for government that came into language for over centuries-old trade relations. The Portuguesein the 16th century on the coast, left meza for table and reza for prison. Later came the german colonial period and with her shule for school while the English basi for bus. 

For centuries, Swahili was passed on orally. Where there were written records, scholars used the Arabic script. This changed in the 19th century when European missionaries began to systematically document language.

There was a fundamental question: what swahili should become the basis? The Arab, Persian and European influences in vocabulary were similar everywhere, but the basic language varied according to region. Along the coast, various dialects had evolved, which are still spoken.
In Mombasa it was Kimvita, on the island of Lamu Kiamu, on Pemba Kipemba and on Sansibar Kiunguja. The election finally fell to Kiunguja, because Sansibar was then the economic and cultural centre of the region.

The most important steps to standardize:

When	What happened
From 1844	The German missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf writes Swahili for the first time in Latin alphabet lower and written dictionary as well as grammar
1883	The Universities' Mission to Central Africa publishes the New will based on Kiunguja dialect by Sansibar
1930s	The Inter-Territorial Language Committee declares Kiunguja officially on the basis of standard Swahili

The decision latin alphabet was not only practical, but also ideologically motivated. European missionaries saw the Arabic Scriptures as the bearer of Islamic influence, standing in the way of their evangelization efforts.

The biggest difference between Swahili and German is the word groups. In German we know three grammatical genders, that is, the one, and that. Swahili uses silver instead, which are put before the word. For example m- for a person and for several. A human being mtu, several people are called watu. The rear part stays the same, only in front something changes.

The practical thing is that you can immediately see with these pre-silves whether one person or more is talking about, without completely understanding the sentence. Other words in the sentence also assume the same prefix, so that associated words are immediately recognizable. This helps especially in hearing because the ear is used to the recurring patterns.

Swahili is not a sound language. In many African languages such as Twi, Ewe or Yoruba the pitch changes the word meaning. Swahili, on the other hand, uses emphasis and sentence melody similar to European languages. This makes the entry easier.