Greetings

Greetings are an incredible important part of Kenyan and East African community culture. People love to greet each other-whole days can and will be filled with greeting family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. The natives care about the connections that have with people around them, and greetings are an important way to maintain those connections. Greetings occur according to certain patterns that reflect dynamics of respect within a community. Two important things to always remember: 1) When two people of a different age greet each other, the younger person should initiate the greeting 2) There are established responses for the basic questions posed in greetings, and they are always "positive"-you are always well, and your news is always good. This second rule means that not a lot of useful, accurate information is exchanged in greetings. The truth is always meant to come out later-you have to prove your commitment by first working through long, formulaic greeting sequences. Greetings are almost always a fun and pleasant way to engage with the people around you. Learn the greeting sequences well, because this is your first and easiest way to ingratiate yourself (and impress) the members of your community. There are three basic patterns of greeting: 1) Younger person formally and respectfully greeting an elder 2) Formal greeting between people of the same age 3) Casual greeting between friends and acquaintances Formal Greeting Between Younger and Older Person Some of the common greeting are as follows: Greeting Response Shikamoo (Proper opening greeter to an elder) Marahaba(Proper response to "shikamoo")

Hujambo? (Is anything wrong with you?) Sijambo(Nothing is wrong with me)

Habari za ______? (News of _______) Nzuri / Salama / Njema* /(Good / peaceful/ well)

Mzima? (Healthy?) Mzima? (Healthy?)

Kwaheri (Goodbye) Kwaheri (Goodbye)

Jambo or Hujambo(Hello, good day, how are you? )(multy-purpose greeting, means"problems?") Jambo or Sijambo(the response)No problems Habari? (How are things? )(literally"news?") Nzuri(Fine, good, terrible)

Currently, the Swahili language is widely used in regions like Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Zambia and Ethiopia and these makes it the most widely spoken African language. And these is why learning Swahili is very useful.