African Words in English: Linguistic Contributions from Africa

Introduction: Africa's Underrecognized Influence

Africa, a continent of over 2,000 languages, has made substantial contributions to English vocabulary, though this influence is often overlooked in discussions of English etymology. African words in English span a wide range of domains, from music and food to animals and cultural concepts. Words like "banana," "jazz," "zombie," "banjo," "voodoo," "safari," and "okra" all have African roots, yet their origins are rarely recognized by the English speakers who use them daily.

The pathways through which African words entered English are deeply connected to some of the most significant and painful chapters of history—the transatlantic slave trade, European colonialism, and the cultural resilience of the African diaspora. Many African words in English arrived in the Americas through the speech of enslaved Africans, who carried their languages, cultures, and traditions across the Atlantic. Other words entered English through European colonial encounters with African peoples, through trade, and through the growing global appreciation of African culture, music, and philosophy.

This article explores the rich and varied contributions of African languages to English, drawing from West African, East African, Southern African, and other linguistic traditions.

How African Words Entered English

Through the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The largest channel for African words entering English was the transatlantic slave trade (roughly 1500–1870). Enslaved Africans, primarily from West and Central Africa, brought their languages to the Americas. While forced to adopt English, they retained and transmitted many words from their native tongues. These words entered the local dialects of English spoken in the American South, the Caribbean, and other plantation regions, and many eventually spread into mainstream English.

Through Colonialism and Exploration

European exploration and colonization of Africa introduced English speakers to African peoples, landscapes, animals, and cultures. Terms for unfamiliar animals, plants, and customs were borrowed from local African languages and incorporated into English travel writing, scientific nomenclature, and eventually everyday speech.

Through Cultural Exchange

In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, African music, art, philosophy, and political movements have brought new African words into English through cultural channels. The global spread of African musical traditions—from jazz and blues to Afrobeat and hip-hop—has been particularly influential.

Words from Bantu Languages

The Bantu language family, spanning much of sub-Saharan Africa, has contributed numerous words to English:

• Banana — possibly from a West African Bantu language, via Spanish or Portuguese
• Zombie — from Kimbundu nzumbe or Haitian Creole zonbi, "spirit of a dead person," originating in Bantu spiritual traditions
• Bongo (drums) — from a Bantu language, a pair of small drums played with the hands
• Jumbo — possibly from Swahili jumbe (chief) or Kongo. Popularized as the name of a famous elephant in the 1880s, the word became an adjective meaning "very large."
• Impala — from Zulu im-pala, a graceful African antelope
• Mamba — from Zulu or Swahili, a highly venomous African snake
• Boma — from Swahili, a livestock enclosure
• Ubuntu — from Zulu and Xhosa, a philosophy of human interconnectedness, roughly meaning "I am because we are"

Words from West African Languages

West Africa—particularly regions where Wolof, Mande, Yoruba, Igbo, Akan, and Fon are spoken—was the primary source region for enslaved Africans brought to the Americas. Consequently, many African words in English come from West African languages:

• Okra — from Igbo okuru or Akan nkruma, a green vegetable central to Southern American and Caribbean cooking
• Gumbo — from Bantu languages (possibly Kimbundu ngombo), originally referring to okra, now a thick soup from Louisiana cuisine
• Yam — from Wolof or Fula nyami, "to eat," or Portuguese inhame from a West African source
• Banjo — likely from Kimbundu mbanza, a stringed instrument. The banjo was created by enslaved Africans in the Americas, based on African instrument traditions.
• Voodoo — from Fon vodun, "spirit" or "deity," a religion originating in West Africa
• Juke (as in jukebox) — from Gullah juke, "disorderly," possibly from Wolof dzug, "to misbehave," or Bambara dzugu, "wicked"
• Tote — possibly from Kikongo tota, "to carry"
• Cola (as in Coca-Cola) — from Temne or Mandinka, referring to the kola nut
• Goober (peanut) — from Kimbundu nguba, "peanut"

Music, Dance, and Performance

African musical traditions have had an outsized impact on English vocabulary, particularly through the African American musical traditions that grew from African roots:

• Jazz — the exact etymology is debated, but many linguists believe it derives from a West African language, possibly Mandinka jasi ("to become energized") or another West African source. The word first appeared in American English in the early twentieth century.
• Banjo — from Kimbundu mbanza, an African stringed instrument that became central to American folk and country music
• Bongo — drums played with the hands, from a Bantu language
• Marimba — from Bantu languages, a wooden xylophone-like instrument
• Samba — from an Angolan Bantu language, via Portuguese Brazilian usage
• Conga — a tall drum and associated dance, from Kongo
• Mambo — from Haitian Creole, ultimately from a Bantu language

The broader influence of African musical aesthetics—rhythm, call-and-response, improvisation, and polyrhythm—shaped not just vocabulary but the entire tradition of American popular music, from blues and jazz to rock, R&B, hip-hop, and beyond.

Food and Agriculture

African agricultural knowledge and food traditions contributed significantly to the cuisines of the Americas, and the vocabulary came with them:

• Okra — a staple of Southern and Creole cooking, from Igbo
• Yam — from West African languages
• Gumbo — both the vegetable (okra) and the soup dish, from Bantu
• Goober — a regional American word for peanut, from Kimbundu
• Cola — the kola nut, from West African languages
• Banana — from West African Bantu, via Spanish/Portuguese
• Coffee — while the word came through Arabic, the coffee plant itself originated in Ethiopia, and some etymologists trace the word to Kaffa, an Ethiopian region
• Sesame — possibly influenced by African languages (Wolof bennye, related to "benne" seeds in Southern American English)

Animals and Nature

Many animal names in English come from African languages, reflecting the rich biodiversity of the African continent:

• Gorilla — from an ancient account by the Carthaginian explorer Hanno, who encountered "wild women" called gorillai (possibly from a West African language)
• Chimpanzee — from Tshiluba kivili-chimpenze, "mock man"
• Zebra — from a Bantu language, possibly Old Portuguese adaptation of a Congolese name
• Impala — from Zulu
• Mamba — from Zulu or Swahili
• Bongo (the antelope) — from a West African language
• Gnu — from Khoisan languages, via Afrikaans
• Tsetse (fly) — from Tswana tsetse
• Nyala — from Zulu, a spiral-horned antelope

Cultural Concepts and Expressions

Some of the most powerful African words in English are those that carry deep cultural and philosophical meaning:

• Ubuntu — from Zulu/Xhosa, a philosophy emphasizing shared humanity, commonly translated as "I am because we are." The concept gained international recognition through Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela's advocacy.
• Safari — from Swahili safari, "journey," from Arabic safar. Originally any journey, now specifically a wildlife-viewing expedition in Africa.
• Mojo — possibly from Gullah, ultimately from a West African language, meaning a magic charm or personal power
• Juju — from Hausa or Yoruba, an object imbued with spiritual power
• Mumbo jumbo — possibly from Mandinka Maamajomboo, a masked ceremonial figure; now meaning meaningless or unnecessarily complex language
• Zombie — from Kimbundu nzumbe, originally a spirit of the dead in African spiritual traditions, now iconic in popular horror culture
• Voodoo — from Fon vodun, a West African spiritual tradition

The word "ubuntu" represents one of the most profound contributions of African thought to global culture—the idea that our humanity is inextricably bound to the humanity of others.

Swahili Words in English

Swahili, a Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa, has been a particularly rich source of African words in English:

• Safari — journey
• Bwana — master, boss
• Simba — lion (made globally famous by Disney's The Lion King)
• Jambo — a greeting, "hello"
• Hakuna matata — "no worries," popularized worldwide by The Lion King
• Kwanzaa — from matunda ya kwanza, "first fruits," an African American holiday
• Uhuru — freedom, independence

Swahili itself is a Bantu language that absorbed significant Arabic vocabulary through centuries of trade along the East African coast. Some Swahili words that entered English, like "safari," actually have Arabic etymologies further back, illustrating the complex layering of linguistic influence that characterizes African words in English.

African Influence on American English

The influence of African languages on American English extends beyond individual loanwords. Linguists have identified structural features of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) that may reflect African language substrates, including certain grammatical patterns, phonological features, and discourse styles.

Beyond grammar, African American English has contributed countless slang words and expressions to mainstream American and global English. While many of these terms originate in the creativity of African American speech communities rather than directly from African languages, the broader African linguistic heritage remains a fundamental part of the story.

Words and expressions that entered mainstream English through African American communities include "cool" (as an expression of approval), "hip," "dig" (to understand), "jive," "bad" (meaning good), and many more recent contributions from hip-hop culture. The vitality and creativity of this linguistic tradition reflects the enduring cultural resilience of the African diaspora.

Conclusion

African words in English are more numerous and more deeply embedded than most English speakers realize. From the foods we eat (banana, okra, yam) to the music we listen to (jazz, banjo, bongo) to the animals we admire (gorilla, chimpanzee, zebra) to the concepts we value (ubuntu, safari, mojo), African linguistic contributions enrich English in ways that deserve greater recognition. Understanding these contributions honors the cultures from which they came and reminds us that English is truly a global language, built from the vocabulary of peoples around the world.