Bantu Words Popularised in Western Cultures
Some words from various Bantu languages have been borrowed into western languages. These include:
- Bomba
- Bongos
- Boogie-woogie
- Bwana
- Candombe
- Chimpanzee
- Conga
- Goobers
- Gumbo
- Hakuna matata
- Impala
- Indaba
- Jenga
- Jumbo
- Kalimba
- Kwanzaa
- Mamba
- Mambo
- Mbira
- Marimba
- Rumba
- Safari
- Samba
- Simba
- Ubuntu
A case has been made out for borrowings of many place-names and even misremembered rhymes such as "Here we go looby-loo ... " – chiefly from one of the Luba varieties – in the USA.
Read more about this topic: Bantu Languages
Famous quotes containing the words words, western and/or cultures:
“While over Alabama earth
These words are gently spoken:
Serve—and hate will die unborn.
Love—and chains are broken.”
—Langston Hughes (20th century)
“Western man represents himself, on the political or psychological stage, in a spectacular world-theater. Our personality is innately cinematic, light-charged projections flickering on the screen of Western consciousness.”
—Camille Paglia (b. 1947)
“Both cultures encourage innovation and experimentation, but are likely to reject the innovator if his innovation is not accepted by audiences. High culture experiments that are rejected by audiences in the creator’s lifetime may, however, become classics in another era, whereas popular culture experiments are forgotten if not immediately successful. Even so, in both cultures innovation is rare, although in high culture it is celebrated and in popular culture it is taken for granted.”
—Herbert J. Gans (b. 1927)