Learn about interjections in Swahili
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Intro |
|---|
| Antoni: What are Interjections? |
| Gertrude: And are they commonly used in Swahili? |
| Antoni: At Swahilipod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Derrick Mogaka has a gift for his daughter. He says, |
| "I have a gift for you." |
| Derrick Mogaka: Niko na zawadi yako. |
| Dialogue |
| Derrick Mogaka: Niko na zawadi yako. |
| Joyce Mogaka: Lo! mtoto wa mbwa. |
| Antoni: Once more with the English translation. |
| Derrick Mogaka: Niko na zawadi yako. |
| Antoni: "I have a gift for you." |
| Joyce Mogaka: Lo! mtoto wa mbwa. |
| Antoni: "Oh! A puppy!" |
Lesson focus |
| Antoni: Interjections are used frequently by the Swahili people. Mastering them helps you have a better grasp not only of the Swahili language but also the Swahili culture. In this lesson, we will be looking at interjections in Swahili, or |
| Gertrude: maneno ya mshangao |
| Antoni: This literally means "exclamation words" or "words of surprise." These are words that are used to express a strong feeling or a spontaneous reaction. Most interjections can stand on their own and are traditional parts of speech in their own right, in the same way that nouns, verbs, and other words are. In a way, interjections could even be seen as the emojis of language! |
| Antoni: One of the best examples of an interjection is "Ouch!" You can combine it with other words, as in, "Ouch, that hurts!" It can stand on its own too. For instance, if you accidentally stubbed your toe, you say, |
| Gertrude: Aa! |
| Antoni: which is "Ouch!" in Swahili. As you may already know, interjections are used to express certain emotions, such as pain, disgust, fear, shock, and awe. There are also interjections that are associated with noise, food, and annoying situations. Speaking of annoyance, in Swahili, the interjection someone would use when annoyed is |
| Gertrude: Ala! |
| Antoni: It’s like saying "Hey!" in English, such as when you you say, |
| Gertrude: Ala, fikiria kwanza! |
| Antoni: or "Hey! Think first!" Something you’d say to someone who’s being rash or reckless. It could also be used to expression frustration, such as when you say, |
| Gertrude: Ala! Kwani bado haujafika? |
| Antoni: or "What?! You haven’t arrived yet?" A similar expression would be |
| Gertrude: Ati! |
| Antoni: This one also means "Hey!" and is used to attract someone’s attention. It can also be used as an expression of surprise or disbelief, such as when you say, |
| Gertrude: Ati Nini?! Alisema hivyo? |
| Antoni: "Come again?! He said that?" |
| [Recall 1] |
| Antoni: This time, let’s take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Derrick Mogaka says "I have a gift for you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Gertrude as Derrick Mogaka: Niko na zawadi yako. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Antoni: And do you remember how Joyce Mogaka says "Oh! A puppy?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Gertrude as Joyce Mogaka: Lo! mtoto wa mbwa. |
| Antoni: Here, Joyce expresses her excitement when she sees the puppy given to her by her father as a gift. She interjects using the word, |
| Gertrude: Lo! |
| Antoni: This is one of the most common interjections used in Swahili and can be used in a positive or negative way. It’s the equivalent of the English expression "Oh!" such as when you say, "Oh! I can’t wait to see them!" or in Swahili, |
| Gertrude: Ah! Siwezi kusubiri kuwaona! |
| [Summary] |
| Antoni: In this lesson, we talked about common interjections in Swahili. We learned that they are used to express certain emotions, such as pain, disgust, fear, shock, and awe. Most of the ones we've learned have their equivalents in English, and, just like English interjections, interjections in Swahili can stand on their own or appear with other words. |
| Expansion/Contrast (Optional) |
| Antoni: So far, we've covered some of the most common interjections in the Swahili language. Why don’t we explore some more? Let’s start with, |
| Gertrude: Haya! |
| Antoni: This is the equivalent of the English expression "Okay!" and is used to express agreement. Another one is |
| Gertrude: Ng’o! |
| Antoni: This expression is used to tell a child, "Absolutely not!" And when you want to tell a child to keep quiet, you use |
| Gertrude: Shhh! |
| Antoni: Yes, it’s the same as in most languages. And, if you want to express disappointment or regret because things haven’t gone your way, you can say, |
| Gertrude: Laiti! |
| Antoni: A seemingly opposite expression is the word |
| Gertrude: Lahaula! |
| Antoni: This is something you would say if something terrible has happened that you know is inevitable, such as death, for instance. Using this interjection is an expression that what has happened has already happened and must be accepted. And, finally, there’s the interjection, |
| Gertrude: Ya Allah! |
| Antoni: Similar to the expression "Oh God!" In English, this interjection is used to express frustration, as well as the feeling of a pleasant surprise or amazement. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Antoni: Interjections in the Swahili language are divided into two categories. The ones we have covered are words that are used purely as interjections. The other group are words that function as interjections but also have different meanings. One such word is |
| Gertrude: Hata! |
| Antoni: This word literally means "even" or "in order that" in Swahili, but as an interjection, it is used to express disagreement, with stress placed on the second syllable. Another one is |
| Gertrude: Kweli! |
| Antoni: This word literally means "truth" in the Swahili language. When used with an exclamation point, it becomes an expression of affirmation, similar to the English expression "Truly!" However, when used with a question mark, it becomes an expression of disbelief, similar to the English expression "Really?" Other words belonging to this category are those that refer to God. One such expression is |
| Gertrude: Astaghfurulahi! |
| Antoni: This is an expression used when one is seeking forgiveness from God. It’s similar to the expression "God, forgive me." Another one is |
| Gertrude: Haki ya Mungu! |
| Antoni: This one is an expression used when one is taking an oath, similar to the expression "I swear to God." And, finally, there’s the expression |
| Gertrude: Mashallah! |
| Antoni: This literally means "What God has willed" or "God willed it." This interjection is often used to express gratitude to God, particularly when thanking him for his creation. |
Outro |
| Antoni: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Gertrude: Tutaonana hivi karibuni! |
| Antoni: See you soon! |
| Native Speaker Feedback: |
| ala- (to exclaim surprise) |
| ati/eti (come again) |
| eeh (to agree) |
| kumbe (so that's why) |
| Credits: Gertrude (Swahili, Kenya), Antoni (English, synthetic voice) |
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