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LINGALA - SWAHILI SIMILARITIES

Lingala and Swahili are both in the Bantu group of languages spoken in East and Central Africa. Lingala is  spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C) where it serves as the lingua franca of the region. It is a common misconception that Lingala is spoken only in D.R.C. In fact, Lingala is also spoken in large parts of the Republic of the Congo, Angola and the Central African Republic. Swahili on the other hand is spoken mainly in East Africa and some parts of Southern Africa.
This article aims to explore some etymological similarities between Lingala and Swahili words. Even though the similarity between these two languages is much broader and goes beyond the scope of this article (and includes phonological, syntax and etymological similarities), the face-value similarities is a good place to start our investigation.

 Also of note is the fact that these two languages both have noun classes (or Ngeli in Swahili) which dictates the prefixes and sufixes which nouns, adjectives and pronounces take. Even though Swahili ngeli or noun classes are more elaborate and much more developed than Lingala's, this can be attributed to the standardization efforts that Swahili speaking countries have taken rather than the product of natural evolution of the language. Swahili also boasts a broader vocabulary than Lingala (also attributable to the fact that it's a National language of more than three states in East Africa). However, unlike Lingala which is purely Bantu, Swahili borrows a lot from Arabic Language with experts claiming that as much as 40% - 45% of Swahili vocabulary is made up of Arabic words.


Please note that I am not a linguist or expert of any sort, but just an ordinary folk who loves languages, therefore some of my literary jargon may not be accurate. However, the information presented here including the meaning of words are demonstrably accurate.

SWAHILI - LINGALA (MEANING) 

Baba - Papa (Father)
Barabara - Balabala (Road)
Hapa - awa(Here)
Hata - Ata (Even)
Baba  - Tata (Father)
Mafuta - Nta (Oil)
Mama - mama (Mother)
Mbona - Mpona nini (Why)
Mashemeji - Basemeki (In laws)
Masua - Masuwa (Boat or ship)
Mwana - Muana (Child)
Mkia - Mokila (Tail)
Meza - Mesa (Table)
Mingi - Mingi (Many, a lot)
Mnyama - nyama (Animal)
Nyama - nyama (meat)
Kuona - Komona (To see)
Kuamini - Kondima (to believe)
Mafuta - mafuta (oil)
Mapacha - mapasha (twins)
Kufa - Kokufa (To die)
Kula - Kolya (To eat)
Kulala - Kolala (to sleep)
Mikono - Maboko (hands)
Kulia - Kolela (to cry)
Kuota - kolota (to dream)
Baridi - Molili (cold)
Ndoto - ndoto ( a dream)
Mwana - Muana (child)
Na - na (with/and/alongside)
Nini - nini (what)
Mara - mbala (times)
Nani - nani (who)
Jicho - Liso (eye)
Matoyi - Maskio (ears)
Sahani - sahani (plate)
Upepo - Mopepe (Wind)
Mikanda - Mokanda (Album/ record)
Kiti - Kiti (chair)
Kuimba - Koyemba (To sing)
Kucheka - Koseka (To laugh)
Kuiba - Koyiba (To steal)
Kuenda - Kende (Go)
Leo - lelo (Today)
Shemeji - Semeki (In - law)
Salama - Malamu (Safe)
Nini - Nini (What)
Matata - Matata (Issues)
Mtu - Motu (Person)
Moto - Moto (Fire)
Motoka - Motuka (Motor car)
Kuwaza - Kobanza (To think about)
Ona - Mona (See)
Wapi - Wapi (Where)
Moja - Moko (One)
Mbili - Mibale (Two)
Mvua - Mbula (Rain)
Nne - Minei (Four)
Kumi - Zomi (Ten)
Nyuki - Nzoi (bee/bees)
Njaa - Nzala (Hunger)
Nyoka - nyoka (Snake)
Shamba - zamba (garden)

This list is by no means exhaustive but it is enough to show just how closely related the Lingala Language of Congo and Swahili are. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you found this article useful. We can't wait to hear from you.

Comments

  1. Anonymous17 November 2022 at 04:48

    This is really cool. One question, does "ba" not make it plural? So I think "Ba semeki" is in-laws and "semeki" is "in law".

    ReplyDelete

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