KISWAHILI KITUKUZWE!!!!!

GBM Watoto Services  provides Kiswahili language services as listed below  and increases the awareness of this unique, romantic and growing language.

The history and importance of Kiswahili:

Swahili, also called “Kiswahili" is the Swahili word for the Swahili language.  'Ki-' is a prefix attached to nouns of the noun class (KI-VI) that includes languages.  It is in class 7 (in the singular only) that the names of languages are to be found, ie. Kiswahili, Kingereza (English), Kifaransa (French) and Kijerumani (German).
The prefix KI- is also used as a diminutive.

The prefix KI- can have a miniscule or tiny value. In essence, the ordinary class prefix of the noun is replaced by the prefix KI  for singular and  VI for for plural.

 Kiswahili refers to the 'Swahili Language which has become a lingua franca in much of East Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is now the only African language among the official working languages of the African Union. The language spreads from Kenya, Tanzania, North of DR-Congo, parts of Northern Mozambique and Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, East and Northern Malawi. Kiswahili is also spoken in Congo(Brazaville), Southern Sudan, the Comoros Island (including Mayotte), Northern Malagasy Republic, and the Persian Gulf states. It is currently estimated that well over 50 million people use Kiswahili for communication. It is the National language in Kenya and official language in Tanzania.

 Kiswahili is also taught in the major universities in the US such as Harvard, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Georgetown, American University, Stanford  universities.  Several international media outlets, such as the BBC, Voice of America and Xinhua have Kiswahili programs.

 Kiswahili is a Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. Swahili is the seventh most commonly spoken language in the world with a conservative estimate of 45 million speakers as a first or second language. Although the Kiswahili vocabulary has been influenced by Arabic, as a by-product of the Bantu languages, Kiswahili remains dependant upon the Bantu grammar.


Examples
Bunge- Parliament
Uchumi-Economy
Kusini-North
Kaskazini- South
Balozi-ambassador
Mungu-God
Utumwa-Slavery
Nyama-Beef (meat)
Shangazi-Aunt
Mjomba-Uncle
Mjumbe-Representative

  Even though the foundation of the Kiswahili language was Bantu. Without a doubt, Kiswahili borrowed extensively from the Arabic  and Portuguese languages and with the advancement of technology, it has also borrowed from the English language. Among Swahili words borrowed from English are:

baiskeli - bicycle
benki - bank
chaki - chalk
daktari - doctor
dereva - driver
hoteli - hotel
jela - jail
kampuni - company
Kompiuta-computer
Mashini - machine
petroli - petrol
roketi - rocket
sigara - cigarette