FSI Swahili: an active introduction course

The origins, development and even total number of speakers of Swahili are all complicated topics and are the subjects of much debate. What is certain, however, is that Swahili is one of the most important languages of the African continent.

It is a Bantu language and the mother tongue of the Swahili people. It is a national language of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and is a major lingua franca in eastern and southern Africa.

Estimates for the numbers of speakers using Swahili as a first and second language vary wildly, but it is thought that it could have up to around 150 million total speakers.

All of this makes it an obvious choice for anyone interested in learning an African language, and of course, several good coursebooks and many other resources exist for those who want to try.

However, additional materials are always welcome, and the texts, dialogs, drills and cultural hints contained in this free online Swahili course should prove an invaluable supplement to whatever else you are using to study it.

Course Details

What is the FSI Swahili Basic course?

The FSI Swahili Basic pack actually contains three courses, the main Basic course that was published in 1968 and two other courses that appeared in 1966, a General Conversation course and a Geography course.

The General Conversation and Geography courses comprise the two components of the Active Introduction, and both use a system of “cycles”, where language is presented, mimicked and then used for communication. General conversation is made up of 87 cycles, while Geography includes 38 cycles followed by a series of texts.

Each cycle should take around 30 minutes to study the first time, and then should be reviewed a couple of times for a total of another 30 minutes, meaning students should spend around one hour on each cycle.

The FSI Swahili Basic course follows the familiar pattern common to other FSI Basic courses and consists of 150 relatively short units in which language is first presented in the form of dialogs and then practiced with exercises.

The Basic course was designed to be studied intensively for around 30 hours a week, but it could also be studied in a longer program involving around six hours of weekly learning. It is also suitable for autonomous learners.

How was FSI Swahili Basic originally used?

This free Swahili course was originally created for US diplomatic staff preparing for postings to areas where Swahili is spoken. Those studying the Basic course would have spent around six hours per day in class, supplemented by two hours of daily personal study.

During class time, they would speak only Swahili, and even outside of lessons, they were encouraged to speak Swahili among themselves. In this way, they were able to achieve a relatively high level of proficiency in only around six months or so.

Students studying the Active Introduction courses would have enjoyed similarly favorable conditions and would also have been expected to make rapid progress.

How can you use FSI Swahili Basic?

Although the Swahili Basic course was designed for use with a teacher, it is also suitable to use for self-study. You can simply work through the units, listening to the dialogs and repeating them and working through the exercises to practice what you learn. Feel free to be creative in adapting the materials to your personal needs and study style.

The Active Introduction courses are perhaps less useful for autonomous study – and the audio recordings for the General Conversation component are currently unavailable. However, if you are using the Basic course or any other study materials, they can still provide a useful way to revise and consolidate the Swahili you are learning elsewhere.

Taking it further

Swahili An Active Introduction - General Conversation

Swahili An Active Introduction - Geography.pdf

Student Text

Unit	Audio
Unit 001	Tape
Unit 002	Tape
Unit 003	Tape
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Unit 126-128	Tape
Unit 129-133	Tape
Unit 134-138	Tape
Unit 139-143	Tape
Unit 144-147	Tape
Unit 148-150	Tape