Swahili
Language Resources for Acquiring Listening and Speaking
olanipekun
Here are language resources for acquiring listening and speaking skills in Swahili.
- Biblia (Bible in Kiswahili) https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/audio/05_swahili/index.htm This bible website like other bible apps is a good listening resource for Christians to learn Swahili.
2. McGrath, D., & Marten, L. (2005). Colloquial Swahili: The Complete Course for Beginners. Routledge: New York
Colloquial Swahili is a comprehensive language resource accompanied by audio files of all written dialogues, and notes. It offers a practical approach to learning Swahili in a colloquial context, focusing on everyday conversational situations.
3. LangMedia: Swahili in Kenya:
This website provides a collection of short videos with transcripts around the 5 broad topics of basic communication, cultural and social life, necessities, shopping services and transportation.
4. Ling – Language learning that’s meaningful and fun (ling-app.com)
Ling is a paid website/app that provides audio clips to all its texts and has the exam sections that test speaking. It is structured into units according to proficiency levels and has dialogues that uses new expressions in the units.
Swahilipod101 is a language website resource that equally runs a Youtube channel. It presents among other things dialogues and grammar notes and encourages speak along.
Language Activity: Making Phone Calls
Objective: By the end of the lesson, you should be able to talk about the video “May I speak with Maria” and be able to speak to your mentor about random topic of your choice.
Resource: LangMedia-‘May I speak with Maria?’
Step 1:
With your present knowledge of Swahili, simulate a phone conversation with a friend or family member. Note the expressions that you do not know how to say in Swahili yet.
Step 2:
Watch ‘May I speak with Maria’ on LangMedia and guess what the conversation is about.
Step 3:
Read the transcript below.
“Ah habari yako?
Ah mzuri (nzuri) sana.
Naweza ongea (kuongea) na Maria.
Oh ahsante.
Ah Maria habari yako?
Habari ya leo?
Umekuwa vyema? Mimi pia. Ehh.
Sasa niambie?
Ahh nilikuwa napiga tuu tuone kama tunaweza kukutana kesho jioni.
Hautakuwa na mpango yeyote (wowote). Haya. Kama saa kumi na mbili hivi. Nitakungojea.
Hapo mbele ya duka yetu (letu); hiyo (hilo) yetu. Nitakungojea tu hapo. Nimeshukuru sana.
Haya tutaonana baadaye, basi eh.
Asante.”
Talk about the new information you now have with the transcript. Identify the unknown words, guess their meanings and note the structure of the utterances. You can translate the transcript to English.
English translation:
“Oh, how are you?
Okay. Very well.
Could I speak to Maria?
Okay, thanks.
Ah, Maria, how are you?
How’s your day going?
Have you been well? Me, too. Yahh.
So, tell me?
Umm, I was calling just to see if we could meet tomorrow evening.
You don’t have any plans? Okay. Say around six o’clock? I’ll wait for you.
There, right in front of our shop. Ours. I will wait for you there. I really appreciate it.
Okay, we will see each other later.
Thanks.”
Step 4:
Pretend you are Maria and provide appropriate responses to the caller.
Step 5:
Give a call to your mentor and talk about today’s lesson. Because this is from Kenya, ask if Tanzanians would say anything differently.
