All our course material comes directly from NTIS, notice their price is $220, our price is $19.95!

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of our Swahili Basic Course Cassettes that we mastered using the Tascam Pro Audio equipment below. Double click the images to see a detailed image.

 

Learning Swahili

Language Experts agree, our courses are the most complete and thorough self-instructional language course available. Repetition, vocabulary, sentence structure are the building blocks our course utilizes to teach a language. Lots of repetition drills. Dialog drills. Pronunciation drills. Vocabulary. The audio material is from native speakers and the corresponding textbook is your guide. Our Methodology, Guided Imitation, sets the student on a path to a certified level of fluency. We no longer sell our courses in Volume I and Volume II, so there's no up sell for the next level. You will receive the entire course material, on DVD, for the lowest price we can afford to produce, $19.95. Our shipping cost is $5.45 for domestic shipping and $16.45 for international shipping, which is the exact price we pay the U.S. Postal Service to ship priority mail. We do not make money off of shipping, and ship priority mail because it is the fastest and least expensive way to ship. The DVD will play in both a PC or MAC, and the audio can easily be saved to an IPOD or other MP3 device. You will need Adobe Reader to access the PDF textbook.

Our Value Proposition

The Swahili Basic Course, as you can see, sells for $220 from NTIS, the United States printing service for audio/visual materials; however, they only sell it on audio cassette as you can see from our screen capture of their shopping cart. We purchased the material from NTIS, as evidenced by the screenshot provided of the original Swahili Basic Course Audio Cassettes, and did the remastering work. We had the textbook professionally digitized into a PDF file. And then we spent countless hours remastering the cassette to a digital form, now we are providing this course to you for roughly 10% of the cost of original material. Only $19.95!

Our Quality Proposition: It's all about the Remastering!

We used Tascam Pro Audio equipment to do the initial digital remastering from cassette to compact disc. Once completed, we converted the compact discs into an uncompressed WAV file. We copied what would have been on Side B of the Cassettes, to the end of Side A, creating one continous file, saving again as a WAV file. We used audio software, like Nero and Audacity, to clean up the audio even more. This multi step process includes converting the mono file to stereo, normalizing the volume across the entire WAV file, removing "clicks and pops", doing a low frequency filter, then a high frequency filter, truncating silences to 3 seconds to ensure the audio is quick to begin and end without dead space, normalized the volume again, and outputting the file as another WAV file. We used an MP3 encoder to convert the WAV file to an MP3 file, and we tagged all files with Subject, Title, Copyright, Volume I, Volume II data.

What does all this mean?

The remastering process and filter work means that silence sounds like silence. And in this case, silence truly is golden. Our product is of unparalleled quality, and we can honestly make the claim that no one has spent more time making these courses sound as good as our courses sound. We have provided significant improvements to the sound quality versus the original masters, and even the material we were selling just a year ago, thanks to current technology. All you have to do is open our files in a sound editor and see that silence is a straight line, not wavy, and this means clarity.

About the FSI Swahili Language Course

FSI Swahili Language Course contains 14 hours of audio, and one textbook in PDF file format with 586 pages.

The Swahili Basic Course aims first of all at assisting the student to develop ability in understanding and speaking everyday Swahili of a standard variety. On the basis of well-established speech habits, he can then go on with relatively high efficiency to the further skills of reading and writing.

The pronunciation of Swahili varies slightly from one geographical area to another. In addition, since most speakers of Swahili have learned it after first learning some other language, there are noticeable discrepancies among the speech of persons with different national or tribal backgrounds. The following notes do not attempt to set forth any of these variations but only to indicate those points which are essential to an intelligible and widely acceptable pronunciation of the language.

Drills are recorded first for listening, then for familiarization through repetition, and finally for participation. During the participation step, when the student performs the required manipulation, his utterances are confirmed on the audio immediately following the space provided for his participation.

Drills are generally in two groups in any unit: a) variation drills on pattern sentences, which provide opportunities for the student to develop flexibility in the use of patterns already memorized, and b) grammar drills, which are intended to provide practice for the student in the operation of the patterns explained in the immediately preceding grammar notes.

Learning Swahali 1 - Routing greetings

Learning Swahali 2 - Midday greetings

Learning Swahali 3 - Routine evening greetings

Learning Swahali 4 - Greetings to a lady

Learning Swahali 5 - Some variants in routine greetings

Learning Swahali 6 - One more common variant in routine greetings

Learning Swahali 7 - Test

Learning Swahali 8 - Breakfast in the dining room at the hotel

Learning Swahali 9 - Breakfast at the hotel

Learning Swahali 10 - Aramian enters the dining room

Learning Swahali 11 - Aramian brings his children into the dining room

Learning Swahali 12 - One of the hungry children

Learning Swahali 13 - Luncheon or dinner at the New Africa

Learning Swahali 14 - Afternoon tea

Learning Swahali 15 - Bread and butter with the tea

Learning Swahali 16 - Preparing to buy food at the door

Learning Swahali 17 - How are the oranges?

Learning Swahali 18 - What do we need

Learning Swahali 19 - Buying at the door

Learning Swahali 20 - Where do yo live?

Learning Swahali 21 - Where is Morogoro from here?

Learning Swahali 22 - In a village

Learning Swahali 23 - Where are you going?

Learning Swahali 24 - Where has Juma gone?

Learning Swahali 25 - Gone to pay taxes

Learning Swahali 26 - Where has Hamisi gone?

Learning Swahali 27 - Who is that?

Learning Swahali 28 - An introduction

Learning Swahali 29 - Do you know Mr?

Learning Swahali 30 - Mr. Ochieng?

Learning Swahali 31 - What kind of work do you do?

Learning Swahali 32 - You're a farmer, aren't you?

Learning Swahali 33 - What do you do with your crops?

Learning Swahali 34 - I'm a cook nowadays

Learning Swahali 35 - He's a day laborer

Learning Swahali 36 - Where were you yesterday?

Learning Swahali 37 - What is your tribal background?

Learning Swahali 38 - Where have you been?

Learning Swahali 39 - Do you Speak Luo?

Learning Swahali 40 - Planning a holiday trip

Learning Swahali 41 - Getting ready for church

Learning Swahali 42 - Trouble in the kitchen

Learning Swahali 43 - More trouble in the kitchen

Learning Swahali 44 - Bicycle trouble

Learning Swahali 45 - Trouble with a pen

Learning Swahali 46 - I've lost a letter

Learning Swahali 47 - Broken dishes

Learning Swahali 48 - Lighting the lamp

Learning Swahali 49 - Lighting the lamp

Learning Swahali 50 - I'm not hungry

Learning Swahali 51 - What grade are you in?

Learning Swahali 52 - If you don't drink to much

Learning Swahali 53 - Juma hurt his leg

Learning Swahali 54 - Where have you been recently

Learning Swahali 55 - How's the family?

Learning Swahali 56 - When are you coming to see us?

Learning Swahali 57 - Where will you go after your leave?

Learning Swahali 58 - Why didn't you come to see us?

Learning Swahali 59 - Is your wife feeling better?

Learning Swahali 60 - The children have coughs

Learning Swahali 61 - I don't feel too well

Learning Swahali 62 - You've hurt your finger

Learning Swahali 63 - Late to class

Learning Swahali 64 - Classroom routine

Learning Swahali 65 - A letter from a student abroad

Learning Swahali 66 - My parents are going to night school

Learning Swahali 67 - What is it like at night school

Learning Swahali 68 - What about the fee's?

Learning Swahali 69 - A shortage of professional people

Learning Swahali 70 - A day off

Learning Swahali 71 - Let's visit the farm

Learning Swahali 72 - The farm needs rain and fertilizer

Learning Swahali 73 - Should I get a crop loan?

Learning Swahali 74 - Farm implements

Learning Swahali 75 - Times for planting and weeding

Learning Swahali 76 - Boy or girl?

Learning Swahali 77 - Prenatal care

Learning Swahali 78 - Post natal care

Learning Swahali 79 - When are you getting married?

Learning Swahali 80 - Come along to the wedding

Learning Swahali 81 - Getting into town from the airport

Learning Swahali 82 - A trip to Tanga

Learning Swahali 83 - How much is the basket?

Learning Swahali 84 - Settling on a price

Learning Swahali 85 - Settling on a price

Learning Swahali 86 - Buying trousers

Learning Swahali 87 - Settling the price of the trousers

Learning Swahali 88 - Where is the consulate?

Learning Swahali 89 - Where is the consulate?

Learning Swahali 90 - Clothes for the laundryman

Learning Swahali 91 - Doing the wash

Learning Swahali 92 - A good looking uniform

Learning Swahali 93 - Making a bed

Learning Swahali 94 - The mosquito net

Learning Swahali 95 - A guest is coming for dinner

Learning Swahali 96 - At the table

Learning Swahali 97 - Washing dishes

Learning Swahali 98 - Caring for the lawn

Learning Swahali 99 - Trials of a baby sitter

Learning Swahali 100 - Trials of a baby sitter

Learning Swahali 101 - Riding a bicycle on the streets

Learning Swahali 102 - Conditions of employment

Learning Swahali 103 - Conditions of employment

Learning Swahali 104 - Rearranging the furniture

Learning Swahali 105 - Planning a trip by car

Learning Swahali 106 - Planning a trip by car

Learning Swahali 107 - In a shoe store

Learning Swahali 108 - In a shoe store

Learning Swahali 109 - In a shoe store

Learning Swahali 110 - I live in the country

Learning Swahali 111 - I live in the country

Learning Swahali 112 - You better not go hunting without a license

Learning Swahali 113 - You better not go hunting without a license

Learning Swahali 114 - Time to get up

Learning Swahali 115 - Time to get up

Learning Swahali 116 - Time to get up

Learning Swahali 117 - Where does the highway go?

Learning Swahali 118 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Learning Swahali 119 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Learning Swahali 120 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Learning Swahali 121 - Fetching water

Learning Swahali 122 - Planning a hunting expedition

Learning Swahali 123 - May I go along?

Learning Swahali 124 - Hunting

Learning Swahali 125 - Hunting

Learning Swahali 126 - Hospitali za mjini

Learning Swahali 127 - Hospitali za mjini

Learning Swahali 128 - Hospitali za mjini

Learning Swahali 129 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Learning Swahali 130 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Learning Swahali 131 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Learning Swahali 132 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Learning Swahali 133 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Learning Swahali 134 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Learning Swahali 135 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Learning Swahali 136 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Learning Swahali 137 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Learning Swahali 138 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Learning Swahali 139 - Duka la Nguo

Learning Swahali 140 - Duka la Nguo

Learning Swahali 141 - Duka la Nguo

Learning Swahali 142 - Duka la Nguo

Learning Swahali 143 - Duka la Nguo

Learning Swahali 144 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Learning Swahali 145 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Learning Swahali 146 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Learning Swahali 147 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Learning Swahali 148 - Safari ya kwenda bara

Learning Swahali 149 - Safari ya kwenda bara

Learning Swahali 150 - Safari ya kwenda bara

About the Swahili Language

Africa has more languages than any other continent. Swahili is one of these languages. It belongs to a group called "Bantu". One of the characteristics of the Bantu languages is lack of articles and gender.

The nouns in these tongues are grouped into "classes" by means of their nominal prefixes, eg. m, wa, ki, and vi. The name "Swahili" is derived from the Arabic word sawahel, which means "coasts." Swahili is therefore the language of the people of the coast of East Africa. Although Swahili contains a number of loan words, mostly from Arabic, Swahili is essentially an African language. In the nineteenth century, Bishop Steere of Zanzibar regarded Swahili as a key to the understanding of the culture of East Africa. His remark was very much to the point, for by learning Swahili, one learns at the same time the cultural values of the Swahili speaking people.

Swahili Pronunciation

It is not difficult to pronounce Swahili if one observes the following rules:

All consonants, except G, have the same sounds as in English.

The Swahili, F, is always pronounced as the English "f" in "fit" and "fair". It is never pronounced as the "f" in "of" which sounds like the Swahili v.

G is always hard, as in English, "go" and "good".

S is always pronounced like the "s" in "soft", and never like the "s" in "visit".

In Swahili the adjectives agree with the nouns they qualify both in number and in nominal prefixes. In Swahili adjectives do not change in order to express degrees of comparison.