What are the 2 meanings of the word Swahili?
1 : a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Zanzibar and the adjacent coast. 2 : a Bantu language that is a trade and governmental language over much of East Africa and in the Congo region.
What does Swahili literally mean?
Swahili has become a lingua franca for East Africa and surrounding areas. The name Swahili comes from the plural of the Arabic word sahel ساحل: sawahil سواحل meaning “boundary” or “coast” (used as an adjective to mean “coastal dwellers” or, by extension, “coastal language”).
What word means Swahili?
Swahili is spoken primarily in Kenya and Tanzania, but speakers of this beautiful language can be found right across the continent of Africa. The word Swahili is itself an Arabic word meaning ‘coastal people’.
How do you describe Swahili?
Swahili is a word the Arabs used to describe “the coast” and only later did it come to apply to East African coastal culture specifically. In Swahili, the correct word to describe the language is Kiswahili and the people who speak Kiswahili as their mother tongue may call themselves Waswahilis.
What religion did Swahili adopt?
Islam
The Swahili people follow the Sunni denomination of Islam. Large numbers of Swahili undertake the Hajj and Umrah from Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique. Traditional Islamic dress such as the jilbab and thob are also popular among the Swahili.
What does JAMA mean in Swahili?
Noun. jamaa 9 (plural jamaa) relative, family member.
What race is Swahili?
The Swahili people (Swahili language: WaSwahili) are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting East Africa. Members of this ethnicity primarily reside on the Swahili coast, in an area encompassing the Zanzibar archipelago, littoral Kenya, the Tanzania seaboard, northern Mozambique, the Comoros Islands, and Northwest Madagascar.
What does banati mean in Swahili?
lucky, happy, fortunate, accidental. a bahati. lucky. More Swahili Translations.
What religion is Swahili?
This group was known as the Shirazi. Today, most Swahili people are Sunni Muslims. It is the largest group within the religion of Islam. The Swahili Coast peaked during the medieval period.
Is Swahili African?
Kiswahili most likely originated on East Africa’s coast. It’s a national language in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and an official language of the East African Community which comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Its use is spreading to southern, western and northern Africa.
What languages are spoken in Swahili?
The Bantu language of Swahili acts as the first language of the Swahili people. Several variations of Swahili are spoken in the DRC, with the dominant one being Kingwana . The languages act as a lingua franca in Eastern Equatorial Africa. Two major variations of the Tshiluba language are spoken in the DRC.
What are some Swahili words?
Here are some Swahili words that can help you to mind your manners on your trip: Bwana – Sir/Mr. Mama – Madam/Mom. Shikamo – I hold your feet (respectful greeting for elders) Marahaba – I am delighted (can use as the reply to “Shikamo”)
What is the definition of Swahili?
Definition of Swahili. 1 : a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Zanzibar and the adjacent coast. 2 : a Bantu language that is a trade and governmental language over much of East Africa and in the Congo region.