"Kiswahili" is the Swahili word for the Swahili language, and is also sometimes used in English. 'Ki-' is a prefix attached to nouns of the class that includes languages (see Noun classes below), 'Swahili' being the main noun stem from which comes the more common English term for the language. There are three "states" to which this main noun stem refers as follows: Kiswahili refers to the 'Swahili Language'; Waswahili refers to the people of the 'Swahili Coast'; and Swahili refers to the 'Culture' of the Swahili People. (A common colloquialism, Uswahili, has been used for years in Tanzania as a derogatory term for "base" behaviour or attitude. Its relationship to actual Swahili culture is unclear and somewhat controversial; its use should be generally avoided.) See Bantu languages for a more detailed discussion on main noun stems.