Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!news.jsums.edu!news2.cais.net!news.cais.net!news.abs.net!news.scn.org!scn.org!lilandbr
From: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Subject: Re: SWAHILI
Message-ID: <DtsBoB.I4z@scn.org>
Sender: news@scn.org
Reply-To: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Organization: Seattle Community Network
References: <31D299F6.731B@mcs.com>  
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 23:24:10 GMT
Lines: 42


In a previous article, solcer@mcs.com (S Olcer) says:

>Can somebody help me what this means in Swahili?
>Nina ku pinda

Dear S,

In the form given, I think the answer is "not much".  "Nina" is "I have", 
but "ku pinda" doesn't look particularly Swahili.  However, I'll bet what 
you've got here is a misspelling (or, less likely, a dialectal variant) 
of 

Ninakupenda

which is standard Swahili for "I love you, I am loving you".  It consists 
of "ni-" (subject prefix = I) + "-na-" (present tense prefix) + "-ku-" 
(object prefix = you, thee) + "penda" (verbal root = love << kupenda = to 
love).  If "pinda" is a verb root, then "Ninakupinda" might also be a 
meaningful and well-formed Swahili word/sentence, but even if it is--my 
Swahili vocabulary is pretty nearly rusted out and I don't have a 
dictionary here at hand--I'll bet "Ninakupenda" is what your phrase is 
meant to mean...  Whoever gave it to you, you might ask them to explain
(by way of determining the nature of the love asserted)

Utakwendako nitakwenda, na utakaapo nitakaa.  Watu wako watakuwa watu 
wangu, na Mungu wako Mungu wangu!  (Hint:  translation from Hebrew)

>Thanks a lot.

Por nada, como nosotros esperantistas dicemos en espa~nol...

>Please e-mail your answer to: solcer@mcs.com
>

Kwa heri!
Liland
--
Liland Brajant ROS'       "I don't care if my wheels are comin' off,
P O Box 30091                 long as I got my plastic Zamenhof...."
Seattle, WA 98103 Usono      USONA ANTOLOGIO Baptista Esperantistaro
Tel. (206) 633-2434                 English, especially under duress
