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1 Introduction Noun Classes

Lesson 1 provides an introduction to the Kiswahili language. Kiswahili vocabulary is derived from 35% Arabic, 64% Bantu languages, and 1% European languages. There are 7 to 22 noun classes in Kiswahili grammar that determine agreement patterns between nouns and related words. Examples of common noun classes are class 1 for humans and animals, class 2 for objects, class 3 for fruits and body parts, and class 5 for abstract nouns. Noun class determines how nouns conjugate with adjectives, verbs, and other elements in a sentence.

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510 views

1 Introduction Noun Classes

Lesson 1 provides an introduction to the Kiswahili language. Kiswahili vocabulary is derived from 35% Arabic, 64% Bantu languages, and 1% European languages. There are 7 to 22 noun classes in Kiswahili grammar that determine agreement patterns between nouns and related words. Examples of common noun classes are class 1 for humans and animals, class 2 for objects, class 3 for fruits and body parts, and class 5 for abstract nouns. Noun class determines how nouns conjugate with adjectives, verbs, and other elements in a sentence.

Uploaded by

dreaming222
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lesson 1: Introduction to Kiswahili

• The words in Kiswahili come from

o 35% Arabic

o 64% Bantu

o 1% Ulaya (Europe)

• Mswahili/waswahili

o Long time ago: meaning = people who spoke Swahili

o Now you can’t call people this because it means they are uneducated

• When saying words,

o In the North, r = l sounds

o In the South, m = n sounds (very hard to distinguish)

Kiswahili sarufi (grammar)


o Many different noun classes, depending on classification 7 to 22
classes.

Noun Classes
Class Major Category Examples
1. M/Wa • Living things that move • Mzungu/wazungu (foreigner)
• Mlimu/walimu (teacher)
• Mtu/watu (person)
2. Ki/Vi • Objects • Kiti/viti (chair)
• Kitabu/Vitabu (book)
3. Ji/Ma • Most of the fruits • Jina/majina (name)
• Some objects • Tikitimaji/matikitimaji
• Parts of the body (watermelon)
• Since some nouns don’t
start with “ji”, the
adjective etc following
would just take the root
form. E.g. –zuri  jina zuri
4. M/Mi • Plants and objects • Mchicha/michicha (aramanthus)
• Mtaa/mitaa (sub-ward, street)
• Mti/miti (tree)
5. U/N • Abstract, intangible nouns • Ugali/ no plural (ugali)
• Some exceptions to the • Uhuru/no plural (freedom)
intangible nouns • Ufunguo/funguo (keys) – not
• Some nouns start with w, nfunguo
so it would be W/N class • Unywele/nywele (piece of hair)
too • Wimbo/nyimbo (song)
6. N/N • Largest class (thank • Nyumba/Nyumba (house)
goodness) • Nchi/Nchi (country)
• No plural noun • Kompyuta/kompyuta (computer)
• Put numbers instead
• All foreign languages
(Arabic, Indian, English
etc)
• Very few local words
7. Mahal • Locative nouns • Nyumba + ni = nyumbani (lit: at
i house = home)
(plac
e)

Definite/Indefinite Articles
• “it”
o Ku = indefinite location (you don’t know the place)
o Pa = definite location (you know the place)
o Mu = inside a place

Noun/Pronoun – sentence agreements


• The noun/pronoun always has to agree with the prepositions, adjectives,
verbs, numbers
Example:
• Kiti kimevunjika (the chair has broken)
o Kiti=chair
o Kimevunjika:
 Ki = agrees with kiti
 Me = past perfect tense
 Vunjika = broken (kuvunjika = to break)
• Mzungu mzuri
o Wazungu wazuri
• Jina zuri ** (class 3 ji/ma noun, since the nouns don’t always start with “ji,” –
zuri is used at the root zuri)
•

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