The Jeliya catalogue uses Kiswahili / Swahili. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Swahili (swah1253). Its ISO 639-3 code is swh. [1]
Draft — awaiting native-speaker review
A major language of East African everyday life, education and trade. Standard Kiswahili coexists with regional varieties. Noun classes and agreement are central to sentence building.
Opening retained from the existing catalogue; awaiting editorial and speaker review.The Jeliya catalogue uses Kiswahili / Swahili. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Swahili (swah1253). Its ISO 639-3 code is swh. [1]
Glottolog associates this record with the following country codes: BI, KE, MZ, RW, SO, TZ, UG. Catalogue locations do not enumerate diaspora or second-language use. [1]
No dated, scope-checked speaker estimate has been approved for this page.
The catalogue classification follows this sequence: Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Bantoid → Southern Bantoid → Narrow Bantu → East Bantu → Northeast Savanna Bantu → Northeast Coastal Bantu → Coastal NEC Bantu → Sabaki-Swahili → Swahili (G.40) → Mombasa-Lamu-Inland Swahili. [1]
INALCO describes a written literary tradition extending over several centuries, initially in Arabic script and subsequently in Latin script from the late nineteenth century. [2]
The Glottolog bibliography includes a linguistic description attributed to Smee, T. and Hardy, J. 1841-1844 and a more recent one attributed to Amidu, Assibi A. 2004. These are publication dates, not language origins. [1]
Latin spelling is relatively transparent, but loans and nasal clusters need recordings. Keep ng’ distinct from ng. Do not add tone marks to Standard Swahili.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.No lexical tone. Five vowel qualities /a e i o u/; stress is usually penultimate. Preserve syllabic nasals and distinguish ng /ŋɡ/ from ng’ /ŋ/. Native vocabulary favours open syllables; loans introduce clusters.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A PHOIBLE record links published sound-inventory descriptions for this language. Inventory analysis can differ by variety and study; example words, letter values and a learner-facing pronunciation table still require a checked reference and speaker recordings. [6]
A reviewed alphabet, sound-by-sound IPA guide and reference recordings are still needed.
Awaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Subject–verb–object; noun classes govern noun, adjective, demonstrative and verb agreement. A verb can package subject, tense/aspect, object, root and extensions.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A language-specific Grambank record is linked for comparison of grammatical features and their underlying references. Feature coding is an analytical resource; it is not a beginner explanation, a complete grammar or a substitute for a teacher’s review. [4]
Standard Kiswahili; compare Kiunguja only with labelled recordings
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Named child varieties in this record include Amu, Bajuni, Fundi, Matondoni, Mgao, Mrima, Mvita, Mwini, Pate, Pemba, Shamba, Siu. These labels do not select Jeliya’s teaching variety. [1]
An entry separates the headword, part of speech, senses and cited examples. A variant is another documented form; a synonym is a different word with a related meaning. Derived expressions can have their own entry. Follow source links and variety tags before using a form.
Search the everyday spelling and check tone-marked forms. ɛ, ɔ, ɲ and ŋ are letters, not removable accents. Search tolerance does not mean two spellings are the same word. Save an entry to keep its stable identity in your wordbook.
Open the dictionaryThe university documents Kiswahili in education, literature and international broadcasting, with both first-language and wider regional communication roles. Country coverage is not a single first-language population count. [2]
Editorial adaptation: Jeliya
Language reviewer: awaiting appointment
Last revision: 10/12/2026
Harald Hammarström, Robert Forkel, Martin Haspelmath and Sebastian Bank
CC BY 4.0
Source checked: 10/12/2026Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Source checked: 10/12/2026Amidu, Assibi A. 2004
Source checked: 10/12/2026