Origins of Swahili Language.

Among the countries of East Africa, Swahili is the primary language spoken throughout the land. Swahili is widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and Zambia. The origin of Swahili has not been as easily determined as have some other languages. There has been debate about the origin of the language and its historical spread. Three main theories have been suggested as plausible ways the language came to be. These three theories are that Swahili came from Arabic origins; Swahili came from the Bantu language; and Swahili is a mixture between both Arabic and Bantu. Its origin has been the subject of debate, so the question is "from where did Swahili truly originate"?

All of the theories suggested that Swahili originated from the Bantu language and has borrowed several words from Arabic. One group that believes Swahili is a mixed language argues that Swahili became a language because of the two languages being spoken in households where Arabic travelers and Bantu women married. This, however, is unlikely because the Arabs traveled all over the world yet did not find it necessary to mix their language with the language they found in those places. Furthermore, Swahili consists of words that sound very similar to Bantu words, which leads scholars to believe that the language originated from the Bantu language. It is very similar to Bantu in grammar, and uses word roots which are also extremely close to those used in Bantu. There is no doubt that the language does borrow many words from the Arabic language. Arabs traveled many parts of the world, including the East coast of Africa. When they visited the coast they naturally brought their language with them. In fact, the word "Swahili" was first used by the early Arab visitors to the east coast of Africa which means "of the coast". Many of the Arabic words were adopted by the people living there. Some of these words include, hatari (danger), safari (travel), habari (news), rafiki (friend), and tafadhali (please). Another probable reason why the Swahili people used many Arabic words in the language was because they read the Quran, written in Arabic, for spiritual advice.

Throughout East Africa, Swahili is spoken by many people. The language is one of the most popular African languages spoken today. The exact number of people who speak it today is not certain, but is estimated to be around 50 to 100 million. Without the language it would be very difficult for the many tribes to communicate with one another. While there are several theories about where the language originated, one seems more probable. Swahili borrows several words from Arabic and it is similar to Bantu in its grammar. While the origins of Swahili have been heavily debated, based on the evidence, it seems obvious that the language originated from Bantu, but borrows many Arabic words from early travelers who came to the coast of East Africa.

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Jame Dean is a researcher at freelancer writing center and has a Masters degree from Johnson University in African Literature. His specialty is languages.