Swahili language
1
3.5
- noun
- /swɑːˈhiːli/
- In Kenya and Tanzania, the Swahili language serves as a unifying means of communication.
Examples
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Becoming a member of Swahili society was based primarily on birth or marriage, dedication to Islam, and communication in the Swahili language.
Academic text (1998) -
The Swahili language and culture thus developed as a distinctive synthesis of indigenous African and foreign, mostly Middle Eastern, elements.
Academic text (1995) -
The Swahili language is spoken by millions of people in East Africa.
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Many tourists learn basic phrases in the Swahili language to enhance their travel experience.
Synonyms
15
3.4
A language from East Africa spoken in Kenya and Tanzania and used as a common language across the region
1
6.8
An East African language used by many people in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda
How Widely Spoken
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the proper name 'Swahili' with the noun 'language', so its meaning (the language called Swahili) is directly and compositionally derivable from the constituents. This is a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern with no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Swahili language comes from an Arabic word, 'sawahil', meaning 'coasts', because the language grew along the East African coast where local people and Arab traders met and mixed their words. That's why it became a 'common language' for trade and daily talk across many groups in the region.