The official languages of Tanzania are English and Swahili though no one language is spoken by the majority of the population. There are over 100 different languages that are spoken in Tanzania so having a unifying language (Swahili) has proven helpful. English is a remnant of British colonialism and is the language of the courts, high schools, and higher education. Many Tanzanians see English as critical to success if they want to emigrate or achieve senior positions of large organizations, though the education system does them no favors by having primary school administered in Swahili, and then switching to English in high school.
Swahili is also the official language of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Comoros and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Never heard of Comoros? Me either, until I did some basic research for this entry. Anyway, the history of Swahili is quite interesting as it has historically been used as a trade language. Interesting fact; only about 5 million people claim Swahili as their native language but more than 60 million people (some estimates claim over 150 million) speak it. To give you some context, the number of native speakers isn't even in the top 100 largest languages by native speakers!
I haven't really had time to delve into learning Swahili but after my first day of work it became apparent that I would have to learn quickly. As mentioned in my previous post, Swahili is apparently the most common language here and many people do not speak English. At work the majority of meetings are conducted in Swahili and I'm at the mercy of my co-worker, who is fluent (she is from the UK). It's not entirely uncommon to hear expats in Moshi that are fluent in Swahili and many have told me it's a very easy language to learn.
Although you may be thinking, "I've never heard anything in Swahili before!", you may be underestimating your life experience, more specifically, perhaps you have viewed the Disney classic "The Lion King". Yes, hakuna matata (what a wonderful phrase), does actually mean "no worries"(for the rest of your days). And "rafiki" means friend. So, if you find yourself in East Africa with people shouting at you in Swahili, the best thing you can do is start to quote "The Lion King".
Swahili is also the official language of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Comoros and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Never heard of Comoros? Me either, until I did some basic research for this entry. Anyway, the history of Swahili is quite interesting as it has historically been used as a trade language. Interesting fact; only about 5 million people claim Swahili as their native language but more than 60 million people (some estimates claim over 150 million) speak it. To give you some context, the number of native speakers isn't even in the top 100 largest languages by native speakers!
I haven't really had time to delve into learning Swahili but after my first day of work it became apparent that I would have to learn quickly. As mentioned in my previous post, Swahili is apparently the most common language here and many people do not speak English. At work the majority of meetings are conducted in Swahili and I'm at the mercy of my co-worker, who is fluent (she is from the UK). It's not entirely uncommon to hear expats in Moshi that are fluent in Swahili and many have told me it's a very easy language to learn.
Although you may be thinking, "I've never heard anything in Swahili before!", you may be underestimating your life experience, more specifically, perhaps you have viewed the Disney classic "The Lion King". Yes, hakuna matata (what a wonderful phrase), does actually mean "no worries"(for the rest of your days). And "rafiki" means friend. So, if you find yourself in East Africa with people shouting at you in Swahili, the best thing you can do is start to quote "The Lion King".
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