Mona Helal (asker) May 26, 2010:

thank you very much to everyone who contributed to this question. Particular thanks go to Mohamed Ghazal.

Mohamed Ghazal May 24, 2010:

Kiswahili Vs Swahili Kiswahili is how Swahili is written in Swahili.

Nesrin May 24, 2010:

Interesting reference, Nadia! Not being an expert, I wouldn't dare to argue.. But here's another definition from the site kiswahili.net:
"What is the difference between "Swahili" and "Kiswahili?"
None. Both terms denote the same language. Whereas "Kiswahili" only refers to the language, the word "Swahili" is also used to designate the culture of the inhabitants of the East African coast East African coast
This is the coastal strip stretching from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. and the people who speak the language."
I admit it's confusing, but if the writer in your reference is right, it's probably a distinction that people just don't make anymore. The UN reference only shows that the Arabic word used on this UN webpage is كيسواحيلي but they don't list سواحيلي as a separate language.

Nesrin May 24, 2010:

Here, a Kenyan person writes the question in Swahili, then in English, confirming that it's "Kiswahili" in Swahili, but "Swahili" in English:
"unataka kusoma na kiswahili? You Wanna Learn Swahili? Salaams, my name is malaika and im from nairobi kenya."
www.assatashakur.org/.../7068-unataka-kusoma-na-kiswahili-y... -

Nesrin May 24, 2010:

Googling "Kiswahili" and "Swahili" produces tons of sites confirming that they're the same thing, none (up to the 3rd Google page) to suggest they're different. Public information leaflets often contain mistakes, esp. when it comes to other cultures, so I wouldn't think it impossible that including both terms is an error.

Mona Helal (asker) May 24, 2010:

Swahili vs Kiswahili The list that I have includes also 'Swahili' so they must be different.