Swahili is a language spoken in Southeast Africa. It is the primary language of over half the East African coast. This would include the southern tip of Somalia in the north to the southern tip of Mozambique in the south. There are also islands off the shores of East Africa that include Pemba, Zanzibar, Mafia, Lamu, and the Comoro Islands that are located in the Indian Ocean, where Swahili is a primary language. Swahili speakers inland extend as far away as Zaire (Congo) down to Zambia and Malawi.
Swahili is th seventh most commonly spoken language in the world with a conservative estimate of 45 million speakers as a first or second language. It is the first language of the coastal people of East Africa from Southern Somalia to Northern Mozambique. Swahili is a Bantu language. Other examples of Bantu languages are Kikuyu in Kenya and Kongo in Zaire.
Like most languages, Swahili has borrowed heavily from other languages such as Arabic, Portuguese and English.
Among Swahili words borrowed from English are:
motokaa - motorcar
Mashini - machine
Soksi - socks
benki - bank
jela - jail
dereva - driver
sigara - cigarette
hoteli - hotel
baiskeli - bicycle
petroli - petrol
tai - tie
roketi - rocket
kampuni - company
daktari - doctor
chaki - chalk
sinema - cinema
Swahili has also borrowed heavily from Arabic especially words concerning religion, trade, commerce, and sailing.
For example:
mtakatifu - holy person
Kitabu - book
biashara - business
Hesabu - accounts
Nabii - prophet
From the Portuguese Swahili borrowed such words as
Mpira - ball
Bendera - flag
Mvinyo - wine