Basic Communications in Tanzania

Informal Greetings Among Youths

Greetings among youths tend to be colloquial. They will often be accompanied by complicated handshakes which change from year to year. In essence, the greetings are shortened versions of the ordinary questions. More and more often, you will hear English greetings such as "whatsup?". As always, there are several options for responses. In the "Visiting a Friend at Home" video, notice the difference between how the visitor greets his friend and how he greets his friend's mother.

"Visiting a Friend at Home"
Transcript:
Transcript: Mambo?
English Word or Phrase: Greeting, literally meaning "Things?"
Transcript: Vipi?
English Word or Phrase: Greeting, literally meaning "How?"
Transcript: Safi.
English Word or Phrase: Response meaning "Clean."
Transcript: Poa.
English Word or Phrase: Response meaning "Cool." 
Transcript: Fiti.
English Word or Phrase: Response meaning "Fit/Healthy."
Transcript: Freshi.
English Word or Phrase: Response meaning "Fresh."