....so I lost my notes for Swahili when I was taking the class...so. Let’s just start all over! and this time, we’re going to start with Duolingo! so the notes you’ll be seeing are from there, unless otherwise stated.
So this is just from the introduction module. I’m sure I can find some good resources for this language soon. why did I get rid of them? lmao.
moving on~~~~ so this is just for learning how to say the words. I’ll go into other things later but for now, it’s always good to start with the basics!
Kiswahili pronunciation is, for the most part, easy for a learner whose first language is English. The language has a five vowel system represented by the letter, a, e, i, o, and u, (like Spanish), and most of its consonants are quite similar to English ones. The following points need to be kept in mind when learning Kiswahili pronunciation:
Kiswahili words are stressed. With a few notable exceptions, stress is placed on the next-to-last (penultimate) syllable, e.g. bába father, káka brother etc. The exceptions are: lázima necessary, obligation; núsura almost, etc. (The accent ‘used here to indicate stress.)
Kiswahili vowels are pronounced as follows:
The letter a is approximately pronounced as in English father, e.g. baba-father
The letter e is approximately pronounced as in English debt, e.g. nene-fat
The letter i is approximately pronounced as in English bee, e.g. bibi-grandmother
The letter o is approximately pronounced as in English row, e.g. mtoto-child
The letter u is approximately pronounced as in English moon, e.g. bubu-dumb person
All vowels are pronounced clearly and distinctly regardless of the position of the vowel in a word. They are never pronounced reduced (i.e schwa) as the second vowel in water and butter. Double vowels as in kaa, baa, taa, etc. are pronounced long. Dissimilar vowels as in pea, paua, zuia, etc. are pronounced distinctly as separate syllables; they are not pronounced like a sequence of two vowels one blending into the other as the English diphthong which is considered to form a single syllable.
Kiswahili consonants are pronounced as follows:
p, t, ch, k are pronounced as in English pea, tea, cheer, keeprespectively, Examples are: paa-roof, taa-lamp, choo-toilet,kaa-crab
b, d, j, g are pronounced as in English big, dig, jog, giverespectively. Examples are: baa-bar, dada-sister, jaa-fill, gugu-weed
m, n, are pronounced as in English. Examples are: mama-mother, nane-eight
ng’ is pronounced like ng in long, bring, sing. Examples are: ng’aa-shine, ng’ombe-cow, ng’amua-realize
ny is pronounced as ni as in the word onion. Examples are: nyanya-tomatoes, nyinyi-you all, manyunyu-drizzle
nj is pronounced like the nge sound in the word fringe. Examples are: njano-yellow, njegere-peas
th, dh are pronounced as English th in thick and this, respectively, Examples are: thelathini-thirty, dhambi-sin
s, z are pronounced as English. Examples are: saa-time, watch, clock, zaa-give birth
sh is pronounced as in English she. Examples: shangaa-be surprised, shinda-win
h is pronounced as in English he. Examples are habari-news, information
f, v are pronounced like the initial sounds in the English words fail, veil respectively, Examples are: faa-be of use, vaa-wear, dress (cloth)
r, l, w, y are pronounced as the initial sounds in the English words; rain, lawyer, way, yes, respectively. Examples are: radi-thunder, lala-sleep, wewe-you (singular), yeye-s/he.
gh is pronounced in the same position in the mouth as English g in go but with friction. Examples are ghali-expensive, ghafla-suddenly