i heard the the East Africa countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and other swahili speaking countries are of east indian influences. that why i was asking.
Indian languages:
Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Sanskrit and Hindu
didn't malay and javanese languages originated from the indian ones as well? i see similarites.
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did swahili originated from indian languages?
Started by Guest_Delugviathan_*, Jun 09 2003 05:16 AM
22 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 11:10 AM
swahili is a mixture of bantu(the original african language i think), arabian and i think also indian. im not sure it could be other languages.
#3 Guest_J4_*
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 11:15 AM
Swahili is a member of African language groups, its grammar is related to other coastal languages and the Bantu languages in general (certain structures and even words are very similar even between far away languages spoken in Angola, South Africa and Tanzania).
But the vocabulary of Swahili has a large number of foreign origin words. Most from Arabic (some say 40%, I think) but also from Persian (Iran), Portuguese (a few words), English and even German (words like 'shule' for school). I don't think Indian-origin words make up a large percentage of the vocabulary.
But the vocabulary of Swahili has a large number of foreign origin words. Most from Arabic (some say 40%, I think) but also from Persian (Iran), Portuguese (a few words), English and even German (words like 'shule' for school). I don't think Indian-origin words make up a large percentage of the vocabulary.
#4 Guest_Mike-D_*
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 02:45 PM
Hi All.
Being doing research not just being Tanzanian, but all to know the core relations among languages in world.
Well, Here is waht I did find.
Swahili (also Kiswahili) is an agglutinative language .An agglutinative language is a language in which the words are formed by gluing morphemes together. This term was introduced by Wilhelm von Humboldt 1836 to classify languages from a morphological point of view. Agglutinative languages are the most common form of polysynthetic language, and are usually highly inflected. The name was derived from the Latin verb agglutinare, which means "to glue together".
The opposite of a polysynthetic language is an analytic, or isolating language. Polysynthetic languages which are not agglutinative are called fusional languages; they combine morphemes by "squeezing" them together, often changing the morphemes drastically in the process.
It is worth noting that in common usage, "agglutinative" is often used as a synonym for polysynthetic, although it technically is not. When used in this way, the word embraces fusional languages and inflected languages in general. It is also worth noting that the distinction between an agglutinative and a fusional language is often not a sharp one. Rather one should think of these as two ends of a continuum, with various languages falling more toward one end or the other.
Examples of agglutinative languages are Hungarian, Esperanto, Finnish, Japanese, Swahili, Turkish, German and Inuktitut. )
Swahil widely spoken in East Africa. It originated between 1500 and 1600 as a auxiliary language for the traders of the east African coast and the Middle East, particularly Oman. Swahili is the mother tongue for many inhabitants of the central east African coast (particularly in Zanzibar, Mombasa, Pemba and Lamu), and it is a lingua franca for up to 50 million others
The traditional centre of the language is Zanzibar, and Swahili is an official language of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The Swahili spoken in Nairobi incorporates significantly more English loanwords than that spoken on the coast, and in Tanzania Swahili is the most widely used language. The language is also spoken in regions that border these three countries, such as far northern Malawi and Mozambique, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and southern Ethiopia. The Zanzibar dialect is known as Kiunguja.
While structurally and grammatically it is a member of the Bantu family of languages, its vocabulary reflects in part its origins as a language of traders. 20% or more of the vocabulary is directly adopted from Arabic (eg. kitabu for book). It is not a Semitic (i.e. Afro-Asiatic) language. A lesser percentage of the vocabulary is adopted from English, reflecting the colonial influence.
The most salient feature of its grammar is its division of nouns into a number of classes. Words beginning with m- whose plural changes it to wa- denote persons, e.g. mtoto 'child', plural watoto. The infinite of verbs begins with ku-, e.g. kusoma 'to read'. Other classes are harder to categorize. Singulars beginning ki- take plurals in vi-: this even applies to foreign words where the ki- is originally part of the root, not a prefix, so vitabu 'books'. This class also contains diminutives, and languages. Words beginning with u- are often abstract, with no plural, e.g. utoto 'childhood'.
Being doing research not just being Tanzanian, but all to know the core relations among languages in world.
Well, Here is waht I did find.
Swahili (also Kiswahili) is an agglutinative language .An agglutinative language is a language in which the words are formed by gluing morphemes together. This term was introduced by Wilhelm von Humboldt 1836 to classify languages from a morphological point of view. Agglutinative languages are the most common form of polysynthetic language, and are usually highly inflected. The name was derived from the Latin verb agglutinare, which means "to glue together".
The opposite of a polysynthetic language is an analytic, or isolating language. Polysynthetic languages which are not agglutinative are called fusional languages; they combine morphemes by "squeezing" them together, often changing the morphemes drastically in the process.
It is worth noting that in common usage, "agglutinative" is often used as a synonym for polysynthetic, although it technically is not. When used in this way, the word embraces fusional languages and inflected languages in general. It is also worth noting that the distinction between an agglutinative and a fusional language is often not a sharp one. Rather one should think of these as two ends of a continuum, with various languages falling more toward one end or the other.
Examples of agglutinative languages are Hungarian, Esperanto, Finnish, Japanese, Swahili, Turkish, German and Inuktitut. )
Swahil widely spoken in East Africa. It originated between 1500 and 1600 as a auxiliary language for the traders of the east African coast and the Middle East, particularly Oman. Swahili is the mother tongue for many inhabitants of the central east African coast (particularly in Zanzibar, Mombasa, Pemba and Lamu), and it is a lingua franca for up to 50 million others
The traditional centre of the language is Zanzibar, and Swahili is an official language of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The Swahili spoken in Nairobi incorporates significantly more English loanwords than that spoken on the coast, and in Tanzania Swahili is the most widely used language. The language is also spoken in regions that border these three countries, such as far northern Malawi and Mozambique, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and southern Ethiopia. The Zanzibar dialect is known as Kiunguja.
While structurally and grammatically it is a member of the Bantu family of languages, its vocabulary reflects in part its origins as a language of traders. 20% or more of the vocabulary is directly adopted from Arabic (eg. kitabu for book). It is not a Semitic (i.e. Afro-Asiatic) language. A lesser percentage of the vocabulary is adopted from English, reflecting the colonial influence.
The most salient feature of its grammar is its division of nouns into a number of classes. Words beginning with m- whose plural changes it to wa- denote persons, e.g. mtoto 'child', plural watoto. The infinite of verbs begins with ku-, e.g. kusoma 'to read'. Other classes are harder to categorize. Singulars beginning ki- take plurals in vi-: this even applies to foreign words where the ki- is originally part of the root, not a prefix, so vitabu 'books'. This class also contains diminutives, and languages. Words beginning with u- are often abstract, with no plural, e.g. utoto 'childhood'.
#5 Guest_Delugviathan_*
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 06:21 PM
Swahili is also spoking in the Central African Republic and Lestheo as well.
If you know one agglutinative language think you could pick up on another agglutinative language easily. For example: if you know swahili think you could understand some Japanese?
What are fusional languages and inflected languages?
If you know one agglutinative language think you could pick up on another agglutinative language easily. For example: if you know swahili think you could understand some Japanese?
What are fusional languages and inflected languages?
#6
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 07:14 PM
i think it would help you to understand how the language works maybe... but swahili has its own grammatical complexities which may seem hard to overcome; and then all of the vocabulary is totally different so there's no understanding the one if you speak the other.
#7 Guest_Delugviathan_*
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Posted 09 June 2003 - 08:22 PM
Quote
i think it would help you to understand how the language works maybe...
yes
again what are fusional languages and inflected languages?
#8 Guest_kroopcrow_*
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Posted 10 June 2003 - 02:42 AM
At least you asked; not spreading the ignorance!
Damon
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Damon
California Repubic
USA
#9 Guest_Sopdet_*
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Posted 10 June 2003 - 02:53 AM
''Swahil widely spoken in East Africa. It originated between 1500 and 1600 as a auxiliary language for the traders of the east African coast and the Middle East, particularly Oman. Swahili is the mother tongue for many inhabitants of the central east African coast (particularly in Zanzibar, Mombasa, Pemba and Lamu), and it is a lingua franca for up to 50 million others ''
Some scholars believe that Swahili language goes back further in antiquity than that. In a greek document entitled the Periplus of the Eretreyans Sea,written by a unknown Greek sailor documents people in tanzania around 50 B.C. were using swahili to trade with Arab merchants.
The port was called Rhapta because of the sewn plank boats the natives made.
Some scholars believe that Swahili language goes back further in antiquity than that. In a greek document entitled the Periplus of the Eretreyans Sea,written by a unknown Greek sailor documents people in tanzania around 50 B.C. were using swahili to trade with Arab merchants.
The port was called Rhapta because of the sewn plank boats the natives made.
#11 Guest_Delugviathan_*
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Posted 10 June 2003 - 07:56 AM
if you know swahili some of the stuff in arabic, german portugese, persian, and english would be familiar to ya?
#12
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Posted 10 June 2003 - 08:08 AM
Swahili is not of Arabic origin... it is an African language (the basics of the language are in its grammar which is totally East African) and you could say part of its vocabulary is Arabic. People who speak Swahili usually understand a lot of Arabic words. Also many people on the coast at least are familiar with some of Arabic culture and religion (in places like Zanzibar the majority of people are Muslim and some of them have relatives who went to work in the Oman or the Emirates, but the relationship between the African east coast and the middle east goes way back).
#13 Guest_Delugviathan_*
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Posted 10 June 2003 - 11:29 AM
Amharic would be more similar to Arabic than Swahili?
#14 Guest_Delugviathan_*
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Posted 12 June 2003 - 04:37 AM
Does swahili have words similiar to other languages besides arabic and english?
#15 Guest_J4_*
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Posted 12 June 2003 - 11:01 AM
Yes, see my posting above: Portuguese (for example the word 'meza' for table) , Farsi (language spoken in Iran - this link goes way back to the sailors that traded the east coast), some German.
Also some other neighbour languages but those are probably just a few words. In street slang many words have foreign origin (eg. 'Mukide' for cool which I think is from Hindi) and sometimes they are words from smaller local languages.
Also some other neighbour languages but those are probably just a few words. In street slang many words have foreign origin (eg. 'Mukide' for cool which I think is from Hindi) and sometimes they are words from smaller local languages.
#16 Guest_J4_*
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Posted 12 June 2003 - 11:13 AM
Check this link out, interesting stuff that you can't find much info about.
On the Comores islands, people speak dialects from Swahili: Shingazidja (sometimes written Shindzwani), Shimaore (spoken in Mayotte, which is French territory even today). Their dialect is a bit hard to understand if you know Swahili, some words are really different.
There are also many Comorians in France (apparently mostly Marseille) and Madagascar.
Now on the web you can find a lot of nonsense about these dialects, some say it's one language 'Comorian', others say its a mixture of Swahili with Arabic. But Swahili in itself contains many Arabic words.
http://www.chez.com/...eofcontents.htm
On the Comores islands, people speak dialects from Swahili: Shingazidja (sometimes written Shindzwani), Shimaore (spoken in Mayotte, which is French territory even today). Their dialect is a bit hard to understand if you know Swahili, some words are really different.
There are also many Comorians in France (apparently mostly Marseille) and Madagascar.
Now on the web you can find a lot of nonsense about these dialects, some say it's one language 'Comorian', others say its a mixture of Swahili with Arabic. But Swahili in itself contains many Arabic words.
http://www.chez.com/...eofcontents.htm
#17 Guest__*
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Posted 12 June 2003 - 05:55 PM
Speaking of Madagascar. Isn't Malagasy a mix of an African language and Malay-Indonesian? Which African language is it a mixture of? Malagasy have similiar words to Asian languages?
#18 Guest__*
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Posted 12 June 2003 - 10:54 PM
Swahili its origin from east african, all language like arabic, indians, english there picks some words from swahili because the first man was lived from pangani........ from there were the origin come..
ab
ab
#19 Guest__*
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Posted 13 June 2003 - 02:44 AM
Aren't the Ethiopians, Eritreans, and Somalis a mixture of African-Arab-Indian-Italian?
#20 Guest_Vegeta_*
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Posted 13 June 2003 - 07:33 AM
Know what siswati is? Is that from swahili origin?
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