Speaking Swahili: African language joins UQ course offerings

Swahili, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa, is now being taught at The University of Queensland. 

The course is offered by UQ’s Institute of Modern Languages (IML) which provides interactive expert teaching of more than 30 languages to the wider community.

IML tutor Wesley Ngetich (pictured) said the inaugural 10-week beginner-level course covered basic grammar and conversational Swahili.

“Swahili is one of the easiest languages to learn – it’s phonetic and there are no silent letters, so what you see is what you say,” Mr Ngetich said. 

“The spelling rules are consistent, the verb structure is simple and predictable, and the noun system is logical and easy to follow. 

“Most people already know some Swahili thanks to the famous phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’, meaning no worries!”

Swahili originated along the East African coast and is spoken by more than 200 million people worldwide, according to UNESCO.

IML Senior Manager Pru Rolff said the course had been requested by interested learners.

“Because it’s used across multiple countries in Africa, learning to speak Swahili can support careers in diplomacy, education, tourism, business, international development, and NGOs,” Ms Rolff said. 

 

“But anyone in the community can experience the benefits of learning a new language, which include boosting brain power and improving memory.

“Courses at IML are open to the public and there are no prerequisites or exams.”

A quick Swahili lesson

• I = ni
• love = penda

	Present tense	Past tense	Future tense
Subject	ni	ni	ni
Tense	na	li	ta
Verb root	penda	penda	penda
In Swahili...	"Ninapenda" (I love)	"Nilipenda" (I loved)	"Nitapenda" (I will love)

The Swahili verb structure follows a clear system that works for all verbs: subject + tense + verb root.
(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Ms Rolff said learning a language could also broaden our global perspective.

“Learning Swahili provides insight into the cultures and histories of East Africa,” she said.

“IML has promoted cross-cultural communication through language learning for more than 90 years.”

Mr Ngetich, originally from Kenya, said students in the Swahili course were from a variety of backgrounds, with different motivations for learning.

“Some have planned holidays to Africa and want to speak the language during their trip, others are keen to learn because they’ve become friends with a Swahili-speaker,” he said.

“There’s also a class member in Tanzania who’s doing the course after moving there with family.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to support people in discovering a new language and help build their confidence and skills.

“Sharing African culture also enhances language understanding as well as our connections with each other.”