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Knapp, Robbin D. 2009. "Swahili English: K". In Robb: Swahili English. Jan. 2, 2009.

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Kiswahili, KiSwahili, Ki-swahili, ki-Swahili, Swahili n.

from Kiswahili "Swahili (language)": the Bantu language most commonly called Swahili in English [< Swahili Kiswahili "language of the Swahili coast" < Swahili "the Swahili coast" < Arabic sawahiliy "of the coasts" < sawahil "coasts" < sahil, sahel "coast, boundary"]. The Swahili people are Waswahili in Swahili, and one Swahili person is an Mswahili in Swahili. The Swahili coast (called Swahili or Uswahili in Swahili) is an indefinite area on the coast of East Africa.

• "Ngai Ndeithya means 'God help us' in Kiswahili, which would seem to be a not inappropriate motto for the railway [crossing the Ngai Ndeithya River] itself." Bill Bryson, Bill Bryson's African Diary, 2002, p. 27. Bryson got the language wrong here; this phrase is not Swahili. According to the Nairobi Daily Nation: "The name, in the local Kamba language, means God Help Me." "God help us" in Swahili is Mungu utusaidie, while "God help me" is Mungu unisaidie.
• "Then CARE stepped into his [William Gumbo's] life. As part of its Dak Achana (Kiswahili for 'healthy households') programme, it introduced him to a couple of agricultural specialists, who showed him ways to increase his yields and diversify crops." Bill Bryson, Bill Bryson's African Diary, 2002, p. 53. Wrong language again. According to CARE Kenya itself: "... known as Dak Achana (Healthy Households) in the local Dholuo language..." Swahili is not the only language in Kenya. Hundreds of local languages are still spoken.
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kwanza n.

perhaps from kwanza "first": chief unit of currency in Angola [perhaps < Swahili kwanza "first" or named for Kwanza (Cuanza), a river in Angola].

• "The kwanza, named for the Cuanza (Kwanza) River, consists of 100 lwei (lw), named for one of the river's tributaries." Thomas Collelo (ed.), Angola: A Country Study, 1989.

Kwanzaa, Kwanza n.

from kwanza "first": an African-American harvest festival held from December 26 to January 1 [< Swahili kwanza "first, firstly, in the first place, to begin (with)" < matunda ya kwanza "first fruits"]. If Kwanzaa were Swahili it would be pronounced with the stress on the second -a- <kwahnZAH(ah)> while kwanza is emphasized on the first -a- <KWAHNzah>. Swahili actually has its own single word for "first fruits": malimbuko. This entry suggested by Baruti Katembo and Wendy.

• "Maybe [Bill] O'Reilly will have me over for Kwanzaa this December." Michael Moore, Stupid White Men: ...And Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!, 2004, p. 68.
• "So believing, he [Maulana Karenga] came up with the concept of Kwanzaa, a Swahili word that means first fruit. He saw the celebration as a means of introducing Black Americans to the values, customs and traditions of Africa. 'It reaffirms our rootedness in Africa,' he says. 'It's stepping back to Black! That was a strong push in the 1960s, getting back to roots.'
  In Swahili, the word is spelled Kwanza. In the early days of his Us organization, there were seven children who wanted to represented [sic] a letter of the celebration. So an extra 'a' was added at the end of the word." Aldore Collier, "The man who invented Kwanzaa", Ebony, Jan. 1998.
• "Show respect for the principles of Kwanzaa family and community, self-determination, purpose, creativity, and faith -- with dolls and figurines that celebrate African-American culture and heritage." "Honor Kwanzaa", Gifts & Decorative Accessories, May 1999.
• "Tribal rhythms and an urban beat will spice up the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts's holiday dance fare when Fabian Barnes's Spirit of Kwanzaa[TM] hits the Concert Hall on December 28 and 29." Paula Durbin, "Fabian Barnes puts the spirit in Kwanzaa", Dance Magazine, Dec. 2002.
• "Kwanzaa has been around for years–so long that what was once an obscure African-American holiday has spawned a cottage industry of greeting cards, wrapping paper, decorative accessories and other mainstream products." Ylonda Gault Caviness, "The spirit of Kwanzaa: a practical, stress-free guide to teaching the holiday's seven principles to children", Essence, Dec. 2002.
• "Several Internet sites offer free items for your Kwanzaa celebration." L.E.R., "Happy Kwanzaa", Black Enterprise, Dec. 2000.
• "You know Christmas is coming here when the giftshop at the National Cathedral -- bastion of Christianity in the nation's capital -- starts selling 'Happy Hanukkah' and 'Happy Kwanzaa' cards." Andrew Stephen, "It's Kwanzaa, and Pete takes a limo", New Statesman, Dec. 20, 1999.
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