Learn Swahili
The Waswahili speak Kiswahili / Swahili
If you plan to visit Africa as an aid worker, Peace Corps volunteer, to connect to family or as a tourist you'll find it useful to learn Swahili. These days it's easier than ever to find resources to learn this fun language. With the internet and audio books you'll be speaking it like the Waswahili (those who speak the language) in no time at all. These resources allow you to learn at your own pace at times convenient to you. This is especially important for a language like Swahili (or Kiswahili - an other expression for Swahili) that might not be offered at your local community college.
Swahili working language of the AU
Of the working languages in the African Union it is the only African language. It is spoken in much of East Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Swahili is the national language of four nations and is spoken by about 5-10 million people as their native tongue. However, a wide variety of people with diverse speech speak Swahili to communicate with one another. If you plan to visit Eastern Africa, you should learn basic Swahili.
The Swahili Characters in 'The Lion King'
If you've ever seen The Lion King, then you've heard some Swahili phrases. Many of the characters have Swahili names, such as Simba meaning "lion" or Rfiki, which means "friend." The song "Hakuna Matata" means there are no problems. Star Trek fans are familiar with Lt. Uhura, whose name derives from the Swahili word "uhuru" that means "freedom". See, you are already learning Swahili.
Learning Swahili with Audio Books
Audiobooks are an amazing tool for learning to speak languages like Swahili. You can take advantage of the convenience of doing your lessons at times that work for you. If your only time is at 4 am before your family gets up, then you have your lessons right there. You can download them onto an mp3 player of disc so you take your lessons with you anywhere. Have them playing the background as you go about your life so that you can become used to the sounds. There are some fantastic audiobooks available, such as Pimsleur Swahili. This was developed to mimic the way children learn languages. Using audiobooks such as these are like having a linguistic expert right in your pocket.
Hakuna Matata - Swahili is Easy to Learn!
No matter why you need to learn Swahili, the resources today are designed to make it as easy and convenient as possible. Hakuna Matata will become your motto as you learn to speak Swahili in your pajamas. Use audio books or even the internet to learn Swahili online. With resources like these you can review your lessons over and over again until you really get them down pat. Once you learn Swahili you can impress your kids with your knowledge as you watch the Lion King together.
By using the Search function in the top left corner you can find more language courses by Pimsleur available from this site.
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