This is Jana.
I am at the stage in my language learning where, lately, in most of my interactions with Swahili-speakers, I am confirming meanings of words. Part of my 'language-learning lifestyle' has been to ALWAYS carry with me a small notebook and pen. My little language-learning notebook lately is maybe of more value to me here than a wallet (if I lost it, I would be in a world of hurt!). During the day-- whether I'm out visiting, at home listening to the radio, listening to a sermon or a conversation-- if I hear a word that I don't know, I try to write it down right away. Sometimes I have opportunity to ask people the meanings of these words, and other times I get out my Swahili-English dictionary when I return home.
My predicament as of late has been that my Swahili-English dictionary, 7 times out of 10, appears to be inaccurate. Granted, there are other possibilities, like the fact that I could be misspelling the words that I hear, or that I could be breaking up a word, or making 3 words into 1 word that does not exist.
I am always being reminded that Swahili in Mwanza is different (in pronunciation, meaning, and common usage) from the Swahili of other regions in Tanzania (like the coastal regions), and very different from the Swahili used in Kenya, Uganda, and other surrounding countries.
The other day, a neighbor was asking me about a rash of Silas' leg. I was using my Swhaili to try to explain what is was. She responded with a head nod and a word that I had not heard before. I wrote it down, and then later looked it up. The dictionary said 'small thin stick'. I was horrified, wondering if this neighbor thought that I beat Silas with a stick. I was pleasantly put at ease today to talk with a completely separate source that told me the meaning of this word was a kind of very normal rash here.
For Westerners, when we ask for the meaning of a word, we are often looking for an abstract definition (like what we would get in the dictionary). But in this culture, it seems more common to explain meaning by giving a relevant example from the context. Through this, I may be learning a big cultural lesson on how Tanzanians use 'indirect communication'. Often, I have left conversations wondering if the person was indirectly asking me for help, or revealing what they truly think of me or somebody else.
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