Penn Language Center

Swahili is a language that is widely spoken in East Africa.  It is spoken as a first language in areas along the east coast, i.e. from southern Somalia to the Mozambique-Tanzania border; the islands of Zanzibar, Pembe, Mafia, Lamu, and the Comores; and most of East Africa's urban areas.

Swahili is a Bantu language. Other Bantu languages include Zulu, which is spoken in South Africa; Kikuyu of Kenya; Kongo of Zaire; and Duala of Cameroon. Although Bantu languages are not mutually intelligible, they all derive from a common ancestral language and thereby share vocabulary, word processes, and sentence structure. For example, the word for 'a person' is: Mtu (Swahili), Umuntu (Zulu), Mundu (Kikuyu), Muntu (Kongo), Moto (Duala). Because Swahili is spoken over such a wide area that is both ethnically and linguistically diverse, many local variations have emerged.

Swahili has borrowed a great deal of its vocabulary from Arabic and other languages such as Portuguese, Indian (Persian and Hindi), German, and English. This is resultant of contact with Arab and Indian traders, missionaries, settlers, explorers, and colonialists. Borrowing is now common not only to Swahili, but to other languages, as well. In spite of this extensive borrowing, Swahili still remains a Bantu language in its basic structure and core vocabulary. This attests to the cultural flexibility of Swahili, as it consistently adapts to new situations and circumstances. Swahili's flexibility has contributed to its rise as not only the national/official language of several East African countries, but also to its international reputation.

Source: African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania