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.

 

Speak Swahili Language

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.

Speak Swahili 1 - Routing greetings

Speak Swahili 2 - Midday greetings

Speak Swahili 3 - Routine evening greetings

Speak Swahili 4 - Greetings to a lady

Speak Swahili 5 - Some variants in routine greetings

Speak Swahili 6 - One more common variant in routine greetings

Speak Swahili 7 - Test

Speak Swahili 8 - Breakfast in the dining room at the hotel

Speak Swahili 9 - Breakfast at the hotel

Speak Swahili 10 - Aramian enters the dining room

Speak Swahili 11 - Aramian brings his children into the dining room

Speak Swahili 12 - One of the hungry children

Speak Swahili 13 - Luncheon or dinner at the New Africa

Speak Swahili 14 - Afternoon tea

Speak Swahili 15 - Bread and butter with the tea

Speak Swahili 16 - Preparing to buy food at the door

Speak Swahili 17 - How are the oranges?

Speak Swahili 18 - What do we need

Speak Swahili 19 - Buying at the door

Speak Swahili 20 - Where do yo live?

Speak Swahili 21 - Where is Morogoro from here?

Speak Swahili 22 - In a village

Speak Swahili 23 - Where are you going?

Speak Swahili 24 - Where has Juma gone?

Speak Swahili 25 - Gone to pay taxes

Speak Swahili 26 - Where has Hamisi gone?

Speak Swahili 27 - Who is that?

Speak Swahili 28 - An introduction

Speak Swahili 29 - Do you know Mr?

Speak Swahili 30 - Mr. Ochieng?

Speak Swahili 31 - What kind of work do you do?

Speak Swahili 32 - You're a farmer, aren't you?

Speak Swahili 33 - What do you do with your crops?

Speak Swahili 34 - I'm a cook nowadays

Speak Swahili 35 - He's a day laborer

Speak Swahili 36 - Where were you yesterday?

Speak Swahili 37 - What is your tribal background?

Speak Swahili 38 - Where have you been?

Speak Swahili 39 - Do you Speak Luo?

Speak Swahili 40 - Planning a holiday trip

Speak Swahili 41 - Getting ready for church

Speak Swahili 42 - Trouble in the kitchen

Speak Swahili 43 - More trouble in the kitchen

Speak Swahili 44 - Bicycle trouble

Speak Swahili 45 - Trouble with a pen

Speak Swahili 46 - I've lost a letter

Speak Swahili 47 - Broken dishes

Speak Swahili 48 - Lighting the lamp

Speak Swahili 49 - Lighting the lamp

Speak Swahili 50 - I'm not hungry

Speak Swahili 51 - What grade are you in?

Speak Swahili 52 - If you don't drink to much

Speak Swahili 53 - Juma hurt his leg

Speak Swahili 54 - Where have you been recently

Speak Swahili 55 - How's the family?

Speak Swahili 56 - When are you coming to see us?

Speak Swahili 57 - Where will you go after your leave?

Speak Swahili 58 - Why didn't you come to see us?

Speak Swahili 59 - Is your wife feeling better?

Speak Swahili 60 - The children have coughs

Speak Swahili 61 - I don't feel too well

Speak Swahili 62 - You've hurt your finger

Speak Swahili 63 - Late to class

Speak Swahili 64 - Classroom routine

Speak Swahili 65 - A letter from a student abroad

Speak Swahili 66 - My parents are going to night school

Speak Swahili 67 - What is it like at night school

Speak Swahili 68 - What about the fee's?

Speak Swahili 69 - A shortage of professional people

Speak Swahili 70 - A day off

Speak Swahili 71 - Let's visit the farm

Speak Swahili 72 - The farm needs rain and fertilizer

Speak Swahili 73 - Should I get a crop loan?

Speak Swahili 74 - Farm implements

Speak Swahili 75 - Times for planting and weeding

Speak Swahili 76 - Boy or girl?

Speak Swahili 77 - Prenatal care

Speak Swahili 78 - Post natal care

Speak Swahili 79 - When are you getting married?

Speak Swahili 80 - Come along to the wedding

Speak Swahili 81 - Getting into town from the airport

Speak Swahili 82 - A trip to Tanga

Speak Swahili 83 - How much is the basket?

Speak Swahili 84 - Settling on a price

Speak Swahili 85 - Settling on a price

Speak Swahili 86 - Buying trousers

Speak Swahili 87 - Settling the price of the trousers

Speak Swahili 88 - Where is the consulate?

Speak Swahili 89 - Where is the consulate?

Speak Swahili 90 - Clothes for the laundryman

Speak Swahili 91 - Doing the wash

Speak Swahili 92 - A good looking uniform

Speak Swahili 93 - Making a bed

Speak Swahili 94 - The mosquito net

Speak Swahili 95 - A guest is coming for dinner

Speak Swahili 96 - At the table

Speak Swahili 97 - Washing dishes

Speak Swahili 98 - Caring for the lawn

Speak Swahili 99 - Trials of a baby sitter

Speak Swahili 100 - Trials of a baby sitter

Speak Swahili 101 - Riding a bicycle on the streets

Speak Swahili 102 - Conditions of employment

Speak Swahili 103 - Conditions of employment

Speak Swahili 104 - Rearranging the furniture

Speak Swahili 105 - Planning a trip by car

Speak Swahili 106 - Planning a trip by car

Speak Swahili 107 - In a shoe store

Speak Swahili 108 - In a shoe store

Speak Swahili 109 - In a shoe store

Speak Swahili 110 - I live in the country

Speak Swahili 111 - I live in the country

Speak Swahili 112 - You better not go hunting without a license

Speak Swahili 113 - You better not go hunting without a license

Speak Swahili 114 - Time to get up

Speak Swahili 115 - Time to get up

Speak Swahili 116 - Time to get up

Speak Swahili 117 - Where does the highway go?

Speak Swahili 118 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Speak Swahili 119 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Speak Swahili 120 - Footpaths can be dangerous

Speak Swahili 121 - Fetching water

Speak Swahili 122 - Planning a hunting expedition

Speak Swahili 123 - May I go along?

Speak Swahili 124 - Hunting

Speak Swahili 125 - Hunting

Speak Swahili 126 - Hospitali za mjini

Speak Swahili 127 - Hospitali za mjini

Speak Swahili 128 - Hospitali za mjini

Speak Swahili 129 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Speak Swahili 130 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Speak Swahili 131 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Speak Swahili 132 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Speak Swahili 133 - Juzaji wa vyakula sokoni

Speak Swahili 134 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Speak Swahili 135 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Speak Swahili 136 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Speak Swahili 137 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Speak Swahili 138 - Mabadiliko mjini Dar es Salaam

Speak Swahili 139 - Duka la Nguo

Speak Swahili 140 - Duka la Nguo

Speak Swahili 141 - Duka la Nguo

Speak Swahili 142 - Duka la Nguo

Speak Swahili 143 - Duka la Nguo

Speak Swahili 144 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Speak Swahili 145 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Speak Swahili 146 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Speak Swahili 147 - Watu wazima na maendeleo

Speak Swahili 148 - Safari ya kwenda bara

Speak Swahili 149 - Safari ya kwenda bara

Speak Swahili 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.