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[Ustaz Hussein]

WE ARE STUDYING ARABIC GRAMMAR HERE AND I AM THE ONLY TANZANIAN IN HOWZA AL-IMAM KHOMEINI IN WHICH I AM STUDYING AND I WAS AMAZED TO SEE THAT SWAHILI LANGUAGE IS BUILT WITH ARABIC WORDS. FOR EXAMPLE:-

ARABIC SWAHILI

JARIB JARIBU
MASKHAARA MASIHALA
BAKHSHISH BAHSHISH
BRIK BIRIKA
SWAHAN SAHANI
HAWA HEWA
KUL KULA
NUSRA NUSRA
DHAMAIR DHAMIRI
KITAB KITABU
KALAM QALAMU
DAFTAR DAFTARI
KARTAS KARATASI
MIKAAS MKASI
SHAWARIB MASHARUBU
RIADHWA RIADHA
KHABAR HABARI

AND SO ON AND SO FORTH........

[Muhammad Mahdi]

Some arabic words naturally crept into swahili due to the trade and intermarriages but its not 100% Arabic as you say.

The grammar and syntax is more bantu than arabic.
Also there are many other language words as well.
Shule- from german for school
Kompyuta - Computer
Meli - The ship used to bring mail

etc etc

[Fatimah Zahra Karim]

True, as Muhammad Mahdi says, a lot of the vocabulary is derived from Arabic, but the grammar and language structure is mostly Bantu. We were taught all that in Form 3/4 in school. Arabic grammar is very very different. Also, the Swahili at the coast has more vocab from Arabic words due to the Arab influence there, but as you go inland, there are Bantu-derived synonyms for many of the same words.

[Ustaz Hussein]

In our evening classes, we have an Iraqi teacher Sheikh Qaasim who teaches us Arabic. I realised that 80% of the Kiswahili Language is Arabic but Sheikh Qaasim made me more amazed. When he knew that I am a Tanzanian, he said that Kiswhili Language is 100% Arabic.

I think he was wrong. He taught many "KHOJA" students in Iran.

The word "swahili" itself is Arabic. It comes from the word "Sahil (lands which are near to the sea)".

[Ustaz Hussein]

and then......

GHARAMA
KIBRIT
HALI
SAMAHANI

ALL THESE ARE ARAABIC...

SWAHILI LANGUAGE IS MORE NEARER TO ARABIC EVEN MORE THAN SOMALI LANGUAGE

[abuali]

for those in dar who want to learn arabic, Ask hasan arabic class thats ongoing

More info @ http://ask.or.tz/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=1 ... 649#p13649

And yea, for us swahili speakers, its easier to learn arabic vocabulary due to similarities like brother hussein has pointed out