Imenukuliwa kutoka Gazeti la HABARILEO, Tanzania la Alhamisi, Januari 8 - 14, 2015
Na GENOFEVA MASAO
Amekula chumvi nyingi - Ameishi miaka mingi [lived a long life]
Ahadi ni deni - Timiza ahadi yako [be trustworthy; keep your promise]
Amewachukua wazee wake - Anawatunza vizuri wazazi wake [taking good care of parents]
Amekuwa popo - Yu kigeugeu [ a turncoat]
Amevaa miwani - Amelewa pombe [chakari] [inebriation, a drunkard]
Amekuwa mwalimu - Yu msemaji sana [a talkative person]
Amemwaga unga - Amefukuzwa kazi [ dismissed from employment]
Ana ulimu wa upanga - Ana maneno makali [biting words]
Ameongezwa unga - Amepandishwa cheo [promoted]
Agizia risasi - Piga risasi [shoot!]
Chemsha bongo - Fikiri kwa makini [think analytically]
Kuchungulia kaburi - Kunusurika kifo [saved from a worse fate]
Fyata mkia - Nyamaza [keep silent]
Fimbo zimemwota mgongoni -Ana alama ya mapigo ya Fimbo mgongoni [birching scars on ones' back]
Hamadi kibindoni - Akiba iliyopo kibindoni [savings for a rainy day]
Hawapikiki chungu kimoja -Hawapatani kamwe ! [always at loggerheads]
Kupika majungu - Kufanya mkutano wa siri [conspire a secret meeting]
Kumpiga [kumvika] kilemba cha ukoka - Kumsifu mtu kwa unafiki [kinafiki] [paying lip service]
Kula mlungula - Kula rushwa [receiving a bribe]
Kupelekwa miyomboni - Kutiwa [kupelekwa] jandoni [performing circumcision]
Kujipalia mkaa - Kujitia matatani [get yourself in trouble]
Kumeza [zea] mate - Kutamani [to crave for]
Kumuuma mtu sikio - Kumnong'oneza mtu jambo la siri [tell a secret to someone]
Kumpa nyama ya ulimi -Kumdanganya mtu kwa maneno matamu [using wiles to tell lies]
Kumchimba mtu - Kumpeleleza mtu siri yake to dig one's secrets]
Kutia chumvi katika mazungumzo - Kuongea habari za uwongo [tell lies]
Vunjika moyo - Kata tamaa [give up]
Yalimkata maini - Yalimtia uchungu [emotional pain]
Kujikosoa - Kujisahihisha [correct your ways]
Kutia utambi - Kuchochea ugomvi [convince someone to fight]
Kumeza maneno - Kutunza siri moyoni [to keep a secret]
Kula njama - Kufanya mkutano wa siri [to conspire a secret meeting]
Kumkalia mtu kitako - Kumsema/kumsengenya [to talk about someone]
Kupiga vijembe - Kumsema mtu kwa fumbo [use idioms to talk about someone]
Kiinua mgongo - Malipo ya pongezi/uzeeni [pension]
Kazi ya majungu - Kazi ya kumpatia mtu posho [hand to mouth existence]
Kaza kamba - Usikate tamaa - [never give up!]
Kumwonyesha mgongo - Kujificha - [to hide]
Kuona cha mtema kuni - Kupata mateso [torture]
Maneno ya uwani - Maneno yasiyo na maana/porojo - [hyperbole !]
Mate ya fisi - Kata tamaa kupita kiasi - [give up totally !]
Mbiu ya Mgambo - Tangazo [advertisement]
Mungu amemnyooshea kidole - Mungu amemuadhibu - [God's punishment]
Mkubwa jalala - Kila lawama hupitia kwa mkubwa - [The eldest is the Dumping ground!]
Mkaa jikoni - Mvivu wa kutembea - [a stay at home person]
Mungu si Athumani - Mungu hapendelei [God is fair]
Ndege mbaya - Bahati mbaya [bad luck]
Paka mafuta kwa mgongo wa chupa - Danganya [telling lies]
Usiwe kabaila - Usichume tokana na jasho la mwingine [Don't exploit others]
Usiwe kupe - Fanya kazi [be gainfully employed]
Usiwe bwanyenye - Usichume kwa vitega uchumi vyako [don't be a capitalist!]
Usiwe na mrija - Usinyonye wenzako [don't be exploitative]
Utawala msonga - Utawala wa wachache [leadership of the few]
Usiwe nyang'au - Usidhulumu kwa kutumia madaraka [Don't use your position to exploit others]
usiwe Kikaragosi - Usiwe chui katika ngozi ya kondoo [Don't be a sheep in a leopard's skin]
Umangimeza - Viongozi wanaopenda kuamrisha watu [a Dictatorship]
Kutoa ya mwaka - Kufanya jambo zuri na la pekee [performing a unique act]
Kumpa mtu ukweli wake - Kumwambia mtu wazi [to be transparent]
Pua kukaribiana kushikana na uso - Kukunja uso kwa hasira [to express anger]
Sina hali - Sijiwezi [I am helpless (mostly when talking about love)]
Kupiga uvivu - Kukaa tu bila kazi [abject laziness]
Kupiga kubwa - Kwenda moja kwa moja [vanishing act]
Kumwekea mtu deko - Kulipiza kisasi [pay back]
Mtu mwenye ndimi mbili - Kigeugeu [A turncoat]
Miamba ya mitishamba - Wanga hodari wa kienyeji [ expert wizardry]
Kupiga supu - Tegea [do the least]
Kupiga mali shoka - Gawana [distribute (contraband, bullion, inheritance]
Kula vumbi - Pata taabu [struggle]
Mafungulia ng'ombe - Kati ya saa mbili na saa tatu [between 8.00 and 9.00 o'clock
Kutia kiraka - Fichia siri [confiante]
Kumlainisha mtu - Kumzungumzia mtu maneno matamu mpaka akubali matakwa yako [convince someone to see eye to eye - to agree to your argument]
Monday, January 12, 2015
Saturday, February 16, 2013
NAHAU MPYA ZA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI TANZANIA !!!!
Imetundikwa hapa leo hii tarehe 17/2/2013.
NAHAU HIZI ZIMEDAKWA KUTOKA MTANDAONI TANZANET !!!!
Pesa hainunui ustaarabu.
Mshamba utampeleka mjini ila ushamba kuuondoa kazi.
Gari alilopanda yesu, shetani haombi lifti.
Gari la kuvutwa haliovateki (overtake)
Hata uwe na bahati vipi, huwezi kuokota nyumba.
Mganga wa jadi haagizi samaki wala mchicha.
Wimbo wa taifa haupigwi disco.
Kandambili haipigwi kiwi.
Usiteme Big G (chewing gum) kwa karanga za kuonjeshwa.
Hata bibi alikuwa binti.
Mke wa mtu sumu, mume wa mtu maziwa.
Kipara bila pesa ni kovu.
Mbwa hanenepi miguu.
Picha ya Rais haina Mlinzi (bodyguard).
Mjini shule, kijijini tuition.
Uzuri na shepu mjini, tabia kijijini.
Mjini heshima pesa, shikamoo makelele.
Silaha pesa, kisu na bastola mizigo.
Kuku ni kuku tu, jogoo jina.
Kusoma kuelewa kukesha ni mbwembwe tu.
Ukitafuta heshima kwa gharama utauziwa fedheha kwa bei nafuu.
NAHAU HIZI ZIMEDAKWA KUTOKA MTANDAONI TANZANET !!!!
Pesa hainunui ustaarabu.
Mshamba utampeleka mjini ila ushamba kuuondoa kazi.
Gari alilopanda yesu, shetani haombi lifti.
Gari la kuvutwa haliovateki (overtake)
Hata uwe na bahati vipi, huwezi kuokota nyumba.
Mganga wa jadi haagizi samaki wala mchicha.
Wimbo wa taifa haupigwi disco.
Kandambili haipigwi kiwi.
Usiteme Big G (chewing gum) kwa karanga za kuonjeshwa.
Hata bibi alikuwa binti.
Mke wa mtu sumu, mume wa mtu maziwa.
Kipara bila pesa ni kovu.
Mbwa hanenepi miguu.
Picha ya Rais haina Mlinzi (bodyguard).
Mjini shule, kijijini tuition.
Uzuri na shepu mjini, tabia kijijini.
Mjini heshima pesa, shikamoo makelele.
Silaha pesa, kisu na bastola mizigo.
Kuku ni kuku tu, jogoo jina.
Kusoma kuelewa kukesha ni mbwembwe tu.
Ukitafuta heshima kwa gharama utauziwa fedheha kwa bei nafuu.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
TAFAKURI YA KIFO CHA SHEIKH NASSOR BACHO
Imetundikwa hapa leo hii tarehe 14 Februari, 2013.
TAFAKURI YA KIFO CHA SHEIKH NASSOR BACHO KILICHOTOKEA ZANZIBAR TAREHE 13/2/2013.
Na PAZI MWINYIMVUA
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILLAIHI RAJ-UUN.
Mfahamu sheikh Nassor Bachu
Sheikh Nassor Bachu ni miongoni mwa masheikh maarufu ambaye makazi
yake yalikuwa katika visiwa vya zanzibar. Ni miongoni mwa walimu ambaye ana
wanafunzi wengi mno ambao msimamo wao mkubwa ni kufuata na kuhuisha sunna za Mtume Muhammad, Rehema na Amani za Mwenyezi Mungu zimshukie, amin.
Mchango wake katika jamii
Katika maisha yake alikuwa akitoa darsa zake katika msikiti uliopo
Rahaleo na msikiti wa Kikwajuni Zanzibar. Alipitisha maisha yake yote katika
kufundisha masomo mbalimbali ya dini kama vile tafsiri za quran, hadithi na pia
alikuwa na kipaji cha ziada cha kuzungumza na kueleweka kwa ufasaha. Hivyo pia
ni miongoni mwa watoa mawaidha wazuri sana ambaye kanda zake za mawaidha za redio na za video
zinapatikana katika maduka mingi wanayouza kanda za dini. Pia unaweza kupata
mawaidha yake kwa kupitia www.sekenke.com
au tafuta kwenye www.mawaidha.com
Kwa muda kidogo alipata fardhi ya ugonjwa na hadi kukamilisha
safari ya maisha yake leo siku ya tarehe 13/2/2013.
Nini tutafakari?
Kwanza napenda kunukuu maneno ya Mtume SAW aliposema katika zama
za mwisho wanazuoni wengi watapungua na
maasi yatazidi.
Ni ukweli usiopingika si
rahisi kupata watu wenye ilmu kubwa kama ya sheikh wetu.
Ni wangapi wako tayari kutumia muda wao kutafuta ilmu ya dini kwa
manufaa yao wenyewe sembuse kupata muda wa kuwafundisha wengine?
Ni nani yuko tayari walau kutumia saa chache kwa ajili ya kutafuta
ilmu na kuweza kutumia ilmu hiyo kwa ukweli
namaanisha kwa ikhlasi.
Ibada zetu zimekuwa za
kubabaisha? Kwa kuwa hatuna ufahamu wa kutosha juu ya ibada mbalimbali. Hii ni
kwa sababu hatujajipangia muda wa kuhudhuria katika madrasa na kuweza kupata
ilmu sahihi.
Watoto wetu tumewapangia
program ambazo hawapati hata muda wa kujifunza dini yao na kumjua mtume SAW. Matokeo
yake ni mmomonyoko wa maadili.
Digrii , Masters na PHD zetu zimekuwa ni bure kwani tunashindwa
hata kufanya ibada ya kutafakari na kuweza kuona na kuthibitisha neema za Allah ambazo
amezitaja katika quran pamoja na kuhofishwa na azabu zake. Tumekuwa mstari wa mbele wa kutaja na kueneza aibu za watu kuliko
kuangalia wapi tumekosea na turekebishe.
Hatujiulizi kwa nini? Na mambo haya mpaka lini? Tutaanza kuisoma
dini yetu lini? Masheikh wetu ndugu zangu ndio hao wanamalizika.
Naguswa na msiba huu sana
kwa sifa za kipekee alizonazo Sheikh Nassor Bachu. Machozi hayatasaidia japo
nalo hili huwezi kulizuia.
Mtu mmoja maarufu alisema wakati wa kiza kinene ndio wakati wa
kutafakari na kuweza kuona mwanga. Aristotle. Tafadhali TAFAKARI.
Martin Luther anasema "Laiti kama ningejua kuwa kesho dunia yote
itakatika kuwa vipande basi nisingeacha kupanda mti wa mtufaha". Andaa maisha ya
kesho akhera hata kama u mgonjwa
kitandani au upo kifungoni NA usichoke kupanda mti wa KUTAFUTA ilmu kwani faida zake ni nyingi.
Mtume SAW amesema
Ishi duniani kama utaondoka kesho na ishi duniani kama utabaki
milele. Mihangaiko ya kutafuta maisha ni miongoni mwa sehemu ya dini lakini
iendane na kutafuta maisha ya akhera.
Na Allah SW anasema
Natunawapa muda wa kutosha lakini watambue hakika nguvu yetu ni
kali? Fanya ufanyavo lakini ujue huwezi kushindana na nguvu za Allah.
Pia anasema; Kila binadamu hufanya makosa lakini mbora ni Yule
anaetubia. Tufanye haraka kuomba msamaha na kutorudia makosa.
Katika aya nyingine anasema waja wema wanapofikwa na msiba husema
hakika sisi tunatoka kwa Allah na kwake yeye tutarejea.
Nasi tuseme INNA LILAHI WA INNALAYHI RAJIUN.
1. Ombi langu kwako tafuta kanda yeyote ya mawaidha ya Sheikh Nassor Bachu katika
website nilizozitaja ukurasa wa kwanza ili thawabu ziendelee kumuendea sheikh
wetu na pia uweze kufaidika na ilmu yake.
2. Tumia walau dakika
chache kumuombea dua na kumtakia
msamaha kwa Allah na
amfanyie wepesi wa hesabu zake katika safari ya maisha mapya. Allah alitie nuru na
harufu njema kaburi lake. Amin. Amin
3. Nasi pia tujiombee Allah atupe maisha mema ya duniani na akhera
na atupe mwisho mwema.
N A H A U M P Y A ZA K I S W A H I L I T A N Z A N I A !!!
Imetundikwa hapa leo hii 14.2.2014
NAHAU MPYA ZA KISWAHILI ADHIMU
TUZIINGIZE KWENYE MITAALA YETU?
1. Gari la kuvutwa hali overtake.
2. Hata uwe na bahati vipi hauwezi kuokota nyumba.
3. Mganga wa jadi haagizi samaki/mchicha.
4. Wimbo wa taifa haupigwi disco.
5. Kandambili haipigwi kiwi
6. Usiteme Big G kwa karanga za kuonjeshwa.
7. Hata bibi alikuwa binti.
8. Mke wa mtu sumu, mume wa mtu maziwa.
9. Kipara bila pesa ni kovu.
10. Mbwa hanenepi miguu
11. Picha ya Rais haina bodyguard.
12. Mjini shule kijijini tuition.
13. Uzuri na shepu mjini, tabia kijijini
14. Mjini heshima pesa, shikamoo makelele.
15. Silaha pesa, kisu na bastola mizigo.
16. Kuku ni kuku tu, jogoo jina.
17. Kusoma kuelewa kukesha mbwembwe.
NAHAU MPYA ZA KISWAHILI ADHIMU
TUZIINGIZE KWENYE MITAALA YETU?
1. Gari la kuvutwa hali overtake.
2. Hata uwe na bahati vipi hauwezi kuokota nyumba.
3. Mganga wa jadi haagizi samaki/mchicha.
4. Wimbo wa taifa haupigwi disco.
5. Kandambili haipigwi kiwi
6. Usiteme Big G kwa karanga za kuonjeshwa.
7. Hata bibi alikuwa binti.
8. Mke wa mtu sumu, mume wa mtu maziwa.
9. Kipara bila pesa ni kovu.
10. Mbwa hanenepi miguu
11. Picha ya Rais haina bodyguard.
12. Mjini shule kijijini tuition.
13. Uzuri na shepu mjini, tabia kijijini
14. Mjini heshima pesa, shikamoo makelele.
15. Silaha pesa, kisu na bastola mizigo.
16. Kuku ni kuku tu, jogoo jina.
17. Kusoma kuelewa kukesha mbwembwe.
Friday, August 24, 2012
MWALIMU KHAMISI MATAKA ASAHIHISHA KISWAHILI
Imeingizwa humu leo hii Jumamosi, tarehe 25/8/2012.
NAOMBA TUZINGATIE YAFUATAYO KUHUSU LUGHA YA KISWAHILI:
1. NI KOSA LA KILUGHA KUSEMA "NI BUDI ..........." KWA MAANA YA
ULAZIMA WA JAMBO FULANI. "BUDI"KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI INA MAANA YA
"HIYARI", HIVYO UNAPOLITUMIA NI LAZIMA UANZE NA KANUSHO KAMA VILE:
HAPANA BUDI........, SINA BUDI ........... NA KADHALIKA. YAANI " HAPANA
HIYARI.........., SINA HIYARI.
2. NENO "MADHUMUNI" NI NENO LA
KISWAHILI LILILOKOPWA KUTOKA KIARABU. NENO HILI LIPO KATIKA UMOJA NA
"MA" ILIYO MWANZONI MWAKE SI "MA" YA WINGI BALI NI SEHEMU YA NENO
LENYEWE. NI KOSA LA KILUGHA KUSEMA ... "DHUMUNI" BALI SEMA
MADHUMUNI.....
NDUGU YENU,
KHAMIS MATAKA
MSEMO WA LEO
hII IMEINGIA LEO HII - Jumamosi tarehe 25 Agosti 2012.
"Mpe akupaye, ukimpa asiyekupa, ni sawa na kutupa".
Hii wandugu nimeikuta leo hii Samaki Samaki huko Mlimani City Shopping Mall, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Bado naitafutia methali mlingano wake Kwa Kiingereza. Tuwe na subira.
"Mpe akupaye, ukimpa asiyekupa, ni sawa na kutupa".
Hii wandugu nimeikuta leo hii Samaki Samaki huko Mlimani City Shopping Mall, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Bado naitafutia methali mlingano wake Kwa Kiingereza. Tuwe na subira.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
MAKUZI YA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI AFRIKA
23/1/2011
Kiswahili's Future Lies in Borrowing From English
2011-01-17 13:22:48.296 GMT
Nairobi, Jan 17, 2011 (The East African/All Africa Global
Media via COMTEX) -- When Kenya's Minister of Education Sam
Ongeri recently lamented the poor performance of primary school
pupils in national examinations of Kiswahili, and ordered an
investigation into the matter, it was reminiscent of an oft-
quoted saying in East Africa: that Kiswahili was born in
Zanzibar, grew up in Tanzania, fell sick in Kenya, died in
Uganda and was buried in Congo.
This saying, albeit light-heartedly, aptly captures the
evolution of the language as one moves north and west of the
East African coast, characterised by a shrinking of vocabulary,
adulteration by indigenous languages and a near-unforgivable
non-adherence to basic structure and noun classes - so much so,
that by the time one crosses into eastern DR Congo, or gets to
northern Uganda, and lately Southern Sudan, it hardly sounds
like Kiswahili at all.
The pertinent question at the moment is what is the future
of Kiswahili as a regional lingua franca as it buffers the
storms that plague the "correct" form of the language,
particularly in places where it has "fallen sick" to the
ravages of other languages, local slang and negative
perceptions; or where it has been admitted into "intensive
care," perhaps because the proper form has never been mastered
in the first place. What can we learn from other linguas franca
of history?
Despite the problems faced in mastery of Kiswahili, the
spread of the language in the region is undeniable: more and
more people are speaking Kiswahili in Uganda, Rwanda and
recently Southern Sudan.
Charles Omondi, an editor with the African Review, an
Online news site owned by the Nation Media Group and recently
in Southern Sudan to cover the historic referendum, writes that
Southern Sudan could soon be the next major frontier for the
expansion of the language widely spoken in East and Central
Africa.
"Having been in Juba," he writes, "I have been marvelling
at how widespread Kiswahili is in a land where English and
Arabic should be lingua franca. Whether in a hotel, in a shop
or on the streets, chances are that one in three people you
interact with is able to communicate in Kiswahili...coming at a
time when no official effort has been made by the government to
promote the language."
The rise and rise of Tanzanian Bongo flava music in the
region has undoubtedly contributed to the spread of Kiswahili,
particularly in Uganda, where it had long been considered the
language of soldiers, criminals and refugees.
The language's popularity surged after Ugandan artiste
Jose Chameleone recorded his biggest hits todate in Kiswahili -
Jamila and Mama Mia.
In Kenya, Sheng, the oft-maligned working language of
Kenya's youth that has its origin in Nairobi's Eastlands, is
often blamed for the poor mastery of Kiswahili among Kenyan
students.
It is also interesting to note how Kiswahili demarcates
sharp divisions in socio-economic status, and one can tell
which side of the divide a person falls in by the language
others use to address them.
Middle and upper middle class children in Kenya, for
example, are socialised to speak Kiswahili specifically to
domestic workers, drivers and gardeners included - the so-
called ordinary wananchi, and are less likely to speak the
language among themselves.
One key step in spreading Kiswahili was to create a
standard written language.
In June 1928, an interterritorial conference was held in
Mombasa, at which the Zanzibar dialect, Kiunguja, was chosen to
be the basis for standardising Kiswahili.
Today's standard Kiswahili, the version taught as a second
language in Kenya, is for practical purposes the Zanzibar
dialect, even though there are minor discrepancies between the
written standard and the Zanzibar vernacular.
The other dialects are Kimvita, spoken in Mombasa, Kiamu,
spoken in Lamu and Kingazija, spoken in the Comoros Islands.
The latter is restricted to the archipelago while the rest
of the dialects are widely spoken along the East African coast
from Kismayu in Somalia to northern Mozambique and parts of
Madagascar.
Currently, some 90 per cent of approximately 39 million
Tanzanians speak fluent Kiswahili, barring localised slang,
rich in vocabulary and idioms.
Kenya's population is comparable, and though the
prevalence of the language is lower, it is still widespread
enough to warrant the government recently to make it a national
language.
Most educated Kenyans can communicate fluently in
Kiswahili, since it is a compulsory subject from primary
school.
The five eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of
Congo are Kiswahili speaking, and it is starting to rival
Lingala as the most important national language of that
country.
In Uganda, the Baganda generally do not speak Kiswahili,
but it is in common use among the 25 million people elsewhere
in the country, and its teaching is currently being implemented
in schools nationwide in line with the vision of the East
African Community.
The usage of Kiswahili in other countries is commonly
overstated, being common only in market towns, among returning
refugees, or near the borders of Kenya and Tanzania.
Even so, Kiswahili speakers may number some 120 to 150
million people.
Notably, some contemporary non-Swahili ethnic groups speak
Kiswahili more often than their mother tongues, and many choose
to raise their children with Kiswahili as their first language,
leading to the possibility that several smaller East African
languages will fade as Kiswahili transitions from being a
regional lingua franca to a regional first language.
The term lingua franca comes from a language that was
actually called Lingua Franca.
The original Lingua Franca was a mixed language composed
mostly of Italian with a broad vocabulary drawn from Turkish,
French, Spanish, Greek and Arabic.
It was in use throughout the eastern Mediterranean as the
language of commerce and diplomacy in and around the
Renaissance era.
At that time, Italian speakers dominated seaborne commerce
in port cities of the Ottoman Empire. Franca was the Italian
word for Frankish, therefore it was the language of the
"Franks": the term used to describe all Europeans at the time.
In Europe, various languages rose and fell in prominence
as linguas franca - Greek during the times of the Hellenistic
civilisation, which was followed by Latin during the Roman
Empire.
In the medi
eval era, German was used throughout the Holy
Roman Empire.
From the 16th to the 19th century, French was the language
of business, trade and diplomacy in Europe, and was regarded as
the language of the elite - a person could not be considered
properly educated if he or she was not conversant with French.
With the spread of the British Empire in the late 1800s
into the 20th century, English soon became the most important
global language, a scenario that persists today: English,
undoubtedly, is today's language of science, technology,
business, commerce and entertainment.
Linguas franca rise and fall on the basis of their ability
to absorb foreign influences, and this is why English has
continued to outpace French, for example, in global relevance.
English easily absorbs foreign words without much fuss -
many words in the language are borrowed from European languages
such as Latin, German and Spanish; even Hindi (shampoo,
monsoon), Japanese (karaoke, tsunami) and Kiswahili itself
(safari, mamba).
French, on the other hand, is much more insular than
English - the Academie Francaise, the official authority on the
language, has raised the flag on the adulteration of French by
English words in particular; to remedy this, it has come up
with arguably clumsy French words in the spirit of preserving
the purity of the language: eblabla to replace chat, for
example.
Still, and to the dismay of les francais, French has
continued to lose ground in terms of number of speakers and
global relevance - more and more Francophone countries are
adopting English on a wider scale: Rwanda is a case in point.
Outside influence
To maintain its relevance and life span, therefore,
Kiswahili should borrow a leaf from English and be less jittery
about the influence of local slang and adulterations such as
Sheng.
Infusions of foreign words are the essence of any lingua
franca, and this increases the language's usefulness in many
diverse social settings.
The language can evolve and yet still retain its purity
for academic and linguistic purposes, and have a standardised
version that is widely known but largely ignored in day-to-day
communication. Just like English.
Kiswahili in East Africa has always been linked to trade,
and one does not need an extensive vocabulary or flowing idioms
to trade.
Starting about 1800, the rulers of Zanzibar organised
trading expeditions into the interior of the mainland, up to
the Great Lakes region.
They soon established permanent trade routes and Kiswahili-
speaking merchants settled in stops along the new trade routes.
After Germany seized Tanganyika for a colony in 1886, it
took notice of the wide, albeit shallow, dissemination of
Kiswahili, and soon designated Kiswahili as a colony-wide
official administrative language.
Textbook or examination Kiswahili, and much less the
purest Zanzibari form of the language, is not the version that
has regional relevance today -- it is street Kiswahili, spoken
in East Africa's commercial centres, that used in the arts such
as music, and that spoken in the various refugee camps spread
across the region that binds the region together.
The essence of a lingua franca is its ability to survive a
stripping down of vocabulary, and its receptiveness to external
influences.
For a language to survive the times, it must be adaptable.
Preserving the "right" Kiswahili, is without a doubt
commendable.
However, if Kiswahili scholars become defensive and
insular in protecting the purity of the language, then it risks
going the way of French - a "fossilised language," according to
Frederic Martel, French writer and journalist, "which is
uncool, associated in the global mind with an aristocratic
elite and defended by ageing bureaucrats terrified of
linguistic evolution."
by Christine Mungai
Copyright The East African. Distributed by AllAfrica Global
Media (allAfrica.com).
Kiswahili's Future Lies in Borrowing From English
2011-01-17 13:22:48.296 GMT
Nairobi, Jan 17, 2011 (The East African/All Africa Global
Media via COMTEX) -- When Kenya's Minister of Education Sam
Ongeri recently lamented the poor performance of primary school
pupils in national examinations of Kiswahili, and ordered an
investigation into the matter, it was reminiscent of an oft-
quoted saying in East Africa: that Kiswahili was born in
Zanzibar, grew up in Tanzania, fell sick in Kenya, died in
Uganda and was buried in Congo.
This saying, albeit light-heartedly, aptly captures the
evolution of the language as one moves north and west of the
East African coast, characterised by a shrinking of vocabulary,
adulteration by indigenous languages and a near-unforgivable
non-adherence to basic structure and noun classes - so much so,
that by the time one crosses into eastern DR Congo, or gets to
northern Uganda, and lately Southern Sudan, it hardly sounds
like Kiswahili at all.
The pertinent question at the moment is what is the future
of Kiswahili as a regional lingua franca as it buffers the
storms that plague the "correct" form of the language,
particularly in places where it has "fallen sick" to the
ravages of other languages, local slang and negative
perceptions; or where it has been admitted into "intensive
care," perhaps because the proper form has never been mastered
in the first place. What can we learn from other linguas franca
of history?
Despite the problems faced in mastery of Kiswahili, the
spread of the language in the region is undeniable: more and
more people are speaking Kiswahili in Uganda, Rwanda and
recently Southern Sudan.
Charles Omondi, an editor with the African Review, an
Online news site owned by the Nation Media Group and recently
in Southern Sudan to cover the historic referendum, writes that
Southern Sudan could soon be the next major frontier for the
expansion of the language widely spoken in East and Central
Africa.
"Having been in Juba," he writes, "I have been marvelling
at how widespread Kiswahili is in a land where English and
Arabic should be lingua franca. Whether in a hotel, in a shop
or on the streets, chances are that one in three people you
interact with is able to communicate in Kiswahili...coming at a
time when no official effort has been made by the government to
promote the language."
The rise and rise of Tanzanian Bongo flava music in the
region has undoubtedly contributed to the spread of Kiswahili,
particularly in Uganda, where it had long been considered the
language of soldiers, criminals and refugees.
The language's popularity surged after Ugandan artiste
Jose Chameleone recorded his biggest hits todate in Kiswahili -
Jamila and Mama Mia.
In Kenya, Sheng, the oft-maligned working language of
Kenya's youth that has its origin in Nairobi's Eastlands, is
often blamed for the poor mastery of Kiswahili among Kenyan
students.
It is also interesting to note how Kiswahili demarcates
sharp divisions in socio-economic status, and one can tell
which side of the divide a person falls in by the language
others use to address them.
Middle and upper middle class children in Kenya, for
example, are socialised to speak Kiswahili specifically to
domestic workers, drivers and gardeners included - the so-
called ordinary wananchi, and are less likely to speak the
language among themselves.
One key step in spreading Kiswahili was to create a
standard written language.
In June 1928, an interterritorial conference was held in
Mombasa, at which the Zanzibar dialect, Kiunguja, was chosen to
be the basis for standardising Kiswahili.
Today's standard Kiswahili, the version taught as a second
language in Kenya, is for practical purposes the Zanzibar
dialect, even though there are minor discrepancies between the
written standard and the Zanzibar vernacular.
The other dialects are Kimvita, spoken in Mombasa, Kiamu,
spoken in Lamu and Kingazija, spoken in the Comoros Islands.
The latter is restricted to the archipelago while the rest
of the dialects are widely spoken along the East African coast
from Kismayu in Somalia to northern Mozambique and parts of
Madagascar.
Currently, some 90 per cent of approximately 39 million
Tanzanians speak fluent Kiswahili, barring localised slang,
rich in vocabulary and idioms.
Kenya's population is comparable, and though the
prevalence of the language is lower, it is still widespread
enough to warrant the government recently to make it a national
language.
Most educated Kenyans can communicate fluently in
Kiswahili, since it is a compulsory subject from primary
school.
The five eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of
Congo are Kiswahili speaking, and it is starting to rival
Lingala as the most important national language of that
country.
In Uganda, the Baganda generally do not speak Kiswahili,
but it is in common use among the 25 million people elsewhere
in the country, and its teaching is currently being implemented
in schools nationwide in line with the vision of the East
African Community.
The usage of Kiswahili in other countries is commonly
overstated, being common only in market towns, among returning
refugees, or near the borders of Kenya and Tanzania.
Even so, Kiswahili speakers may number some 120 to 150
million people.
Notably, some contemporary non-Swahili ethnic groups speak
Kiswahili more often than their mother tongues, and many choose
to raise their children with Kiswahili as their first language,
leading to the possibility that several smaller East African
languages will fade as Kiswahili transitions from being a
regional lingua franca to a regional first language.
The term lingua franca comes from a language that was
actually called Lingua Franca.
The original Lingua Franca was a mixed language composed
mostly of Italian with a broad vocabulary drawn from Turkish,
French, Spanish, Greek and Arabic.
It was in use throughout the eastern Mediterranean as the
language of commerce and diplomacy in and around the
Renaissance era.
At that time, Italian speakers dominated seaborne commerce
in port cities of the Ottoman Empire. Franca was the Italian
word for Frankish, therefore it was the language of the
"Franks": the term used to describe all Europeans at the time.
In Europe, various languages rose and fell in prominence
as linguas franca - Greek during the times of the Hellenistic
civilisation, which was followed by Latin during the Roman
Empire.
In the medi
eval era, German was used throughout the Holy
Roman Empire.
From the 16th to the 19th century, French was the language
of business, trade and diplomacy in Europe, and was regarded as
the language of the elite - a person could not be considered
properly educated if he or she was not conversant with French.
With the spread of the British Empire in the late 1800s
into the 20th century, English soon became the most important
global language, a scenario that persists today: English,
undoubtedly, is today's language of science, technology,
business, commerce and entertainment.
Linguas franca rise and fall on the basis of their ability
to absorb foreign influences, and this is why English has
continued to outpace French, for example, in global relevance.
English easily absorbs foreign words without much fuss -
many words in the language are borrowed from European languages
such as Latin, German and Spanish; even Hindi (shampoo,
monsoon), Japanese (karaoke, tsunami) and Kiswahili itself
(safari, mamba).
French, on the other hand, is much more insular than
English - the Academie Francaise, the official authority on the
language, has raised the flag on the adulteration of French by
English words in particular; to remedy this, it has come up
with arguably clumsy French words in the spirit of preserving
the purity of the language: eblabla to replace chat, for
example.
Still, and to the dismay of les francais, French has
continued to lose ground in terms of number of speakers and
global relevance - more and more Francophone countries are
adopting English on a wider scale: Rwanda is a case in point.
Outside influence
To maintain its relevance and life span, therefore,
Kiswahili should borrow a leaf from English and be less jittery
about the influence of local slang and adulterations such as
Sheng.
Infusions of foreign words are the essence of any lingua
franca, and this increases the language's usefulness in many
diverse social settings.
The language can evolve and yet still retain its purity
for academic and linguistic purposes, and have a standardised
version that is widely known but largely ignored in day-to-day
communication. Just like English.
Kiswahili in East Africa has always been linked to trade,
and one does not need an extensive vocabulary or flowing idioms
to trade.
Starting about 1800, the rulers of Zanzibar organised
trading expeditions into the interior of the mainland, up to
the Great Lakes region.
They soon established permanent trade routes and Kiswahili-
speaking merchants settled in stops along the new trade routes.
After Germany seized Tanganyika for a colony in 1886, it
took notice of the wide, albeit shallow, dissemination of
Kiswahili, and soon designated Kiswahili as a colony-wide
official administrative language.
Textbook or examination Kiswahili, and much less the
purest Zanzibari form of the language, is not the version that
has regional relevance today -- it is street Kiswahili, spoken
in East Africa's commercial centres, that used in the arts such
as music, and that spoken in the various refugee camps spread
across the region that binds the region together.
The essence of a lingua franca is its ability to survive a
stripping down of vocabulary, and its receptiveness to external
influences.
For a language to survive the times, it must be adaptable.
Preserving the "right" Kiswahili, is without a doubt
commendable.
However, if Kiswahili scholars become defensive and
insular in protecting the purity of the language, then it risks
going the way of French - a "fossilised language," according to
Frederic Martel, French writer and journalist, "which is
uncool, associated in the global mind with an aristocratic
elite and defended by ageing bureaucrats terrified of
linguistic evolution."
by Christine Mungai
Copyright The East African. Distributed by AllAfrica Global
Media (allAfrica.com).
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