Jambo!

For other uses, see Jambo (disambiguation).

Jambo! (jam-buh!) is a Swahili greeting or salutation with an exclamation mark. It is similar in meaning to the English word Hello!.

First use

Jambo was once used as a greeting among traders of the Swahili coast of southeast Africa.[1] While similar to the English word Hello, it really meant to come and settle ones affairs in the business sense. It was used by traders from India, China and other lands before the Portuguese Vasco da Gama visited the area in 1498. It is in current use.[2]

It is also used as a surname in southeast Africa. For example, Zhaimu Jambo (born 23 August 1987 in Harare), aka "Jimmy", is a retired Zimbabwean footballer (soccer player).

Linguisticly

Specifically, Jambo is a Swahili language class 5-6 word which are part of the "collectives" or dialogic actions among groups of people. Jambo primarily means 'affair.'[3] The English word "affair" not used in the sexual connotation, but in the commercial, professional, public or personal business definition.[4]

Etymologically it is from amba (-amba) from to say, ultimately from etyl. It is a cognate with Zulu. Secondary meanings include as dealing with a thing, issue or matter.[3]

Other use

The word jambo has found its way into different cultures and languages. For example, the word Jamboree (scouting). This is the Swahili word Jambo used in English, as a borrowed foreign word, with the ending -ree. The word Jamboree is a transitive verb with a direct action of the primary word Jambo. An attendee of a Jambo is a Jamboree. Used primarily by the Scouting program before the first Boy Scout Jamboree in 1920. The word has also come to mean "a lavish or boisterous celebration or party."[5][6]

See also

Look up jambo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Prins, A. H. J. (1961). "Swahili The Swahili-Speaking Peoples of Zanzibar and the East African Coast (Arabs, Shirazi and Swahili)" Ethnographic Survey of Africa, edited by Daryll Forde. International African Institute, London. See also: Prins, A.H.J. 1970. A Swahili Nautical Dictionary. Preliminary Studies in Swahili Lexicon – 1. Dar es Salaam.
  2. ↑ George L. Campbell and Gareth King (2011). The Routledge Concise Compendium of the World's Languages (2nd ed.),. Milton Park, Abingdon ; New York : Routledge. ISBN 9780415478410.
  3. 1 2 Ashton, E. O. (1947). Swahili Grammar: Including intonation. Longman House. ISBN 0-582-62701-X.
  4. ↑ "Affair". November 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ Jamboree. Oxford University Press from the Concise Oxford University Dictionary 10th Edition, 1999. (accessed: November 02, 2015).
  6. ↑ Jamboree. Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jamboree (accessed: November 02, 2015).
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