Kutchi-Swahili
Asian Swahili
Native toTanzania, Kenya
RegionZanzibar, larger cities
Native speakers
45,000 (2002)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ccl
Glottologcutc1238
G40A,B[2]

Kutchi-Swahili, or Cutchi-Swahili, is a Swahili-based creole derived from the Kutchi language of the Kutch district in Gujarat and spoken among the Indian population of East Africa. It is the native language of some Kutchi families from Zanzibar that have settled in the larger cities of mainland Tanzania and Kenya, and is used as a second language by others of the Indian community. In these areas of East Africa, the language is typically only used by Muslim groups, whereas Hindu groups use Gujarati instead.[3]

In the language, words that are taken from Swahili are often modified to fit Kutchi pronunciation patterns; for instance, the Swahili word sahani, meaning "plate", becomes saani in Kutchi-Swahili.[4]

Maho (2009) assigns different codes to Kutchi-Swahili and Asian Swahili (Kibabu),[2] and Ethnologue also notes that these may not be the same.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Kutchi-Swahili at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. 1 2 Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. ↑ Rahemtullah, Omme-Salma (2021-04-20). "Tongue Tied". South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  4. ↑ Bachu, Mahida (2014-01-01). "Heritage Voices: Language – Kutchi" (PDF). Center for Applied Linguistics.


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