Dynamic Yet Consistent

siSwati Prayer

Many of you know Beth and I are planning to move to Swaziland Africa some time in 2011.  (You can read previous posts on our decision here.)  In preparation for that, we have been trying to learn the local language of siSwati.  Swaziland uses English in business and governmental settings, but siSwati is considered the native tongue.  Since only about one million people speak the langauge it has been a bit difficult to find helpful resources.  It is hard enough (impossible) to find a local speaker, let alone a teacher or lessons.  Thus, we have been looking into online and print resources.  I hope this list is helpful for other people who may be in a similar situation trying to learn siSwati.

Basic Information:

The following links give background and general information on the language:

• South African Languages | siSwati
• Swati language – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• African Languages – Siswati (Swati)
• SISWATI – Brochure from University of Wisconson

Peace Corp Material:

By far the most current and widely available material comes from the Peace Corp.  They provide a pre-departure pack that includes a study manual and accompanying MP3s.  I have provided links below.

• siSwati Language Lessons
• Introduction MP3
• Lesson 1 MP3
• Lesson 2 MP3
• Lesson 3 MP3
• Lesson 4 MP3
• Lesson 5 MP3
• Lesson 6 MP3
• Lesson 7 MP3
• Lesson 8 MP3

The above material is the most current, but it is not the most comprehensive.  Previous editions were much more detailed.

• siSwati Language Handbook – Download from ERIC, Published 1980, 116 pages.
• Understanding and Speaking siSwati – Download from ERIC, Published 1969, 449 pages.

Print Materials:

In searching for relevant materials, we have purchased a few resources from online  retailers.  Here are two that we have ordered.

• Handbook of siSwati – Published 1991, 175 pages.  This is a course book for classes at UNISA and thus takes a more academic approach.
• Essential siSwati – Published 1981, revised 1990, 80 pages.  This is a basic phrasebook designed to be a quick reference.

I have linked to the best prices I could find.  For both books it was easier to purchase from an oversees retailer than to try and track these down in the United States.  We actually ordered the Handbook of siSwati from the Africa Book Centre.  They were a bit slow on shipping, but have several resources.

Other Resources:

One of the resources I plan to use once our proficiency increases is YouTube.  There are several videos posted in siSwati (mostly religious) which will be helpful in practicing comprehension.  This one is particularly helpful because it includes English subtitles: Thandiwe

I had the opportunity to talk with a headmaster at a school in Swaziland.  He is from the UK and now runs the Bulembu Christian Academy.  I asked him which resources he would recommend and here is what he had to say:

The best book (if you can obtain it) is from the Sebenta National Institute called ‘siSwati Setfu’ translated ‘Our siSwati’ and was a joint venture publication between the Sebenta National Institute and the US Government, under contract no. 79-042-100.

I have not been able to track it down, but if you do, please let me know where.

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Hopefully the above resources will be helpful if you are one of the very few who want to teach yourself siSwati.  As Beth and I wade into the material, we will let you know which of the above become most useful.