Swahili Origin

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  swahili origin: The Story of Swahili John M. Mugane, 2015-07-15 Swahili was once an obscure dialect of an East African Bantu language. Today more than one hundred million people use it: Swahili is to eastern and central Africa what English is to the world. From its embrace in the 1960s by the black freedom movement in the United States to its adoption in 2004 as the African Union’s official language, Swahili has become a truly international language. How this came about and why, of all African languages, it happened only to Swahili is the story that John M. Mugane sets out to explore. The remarkable adaptability of Swahili has allowed Africans and others to tailor the language to their needs, extending its influence far beyond its place of origin. Its symbolic as well as its practical power has evolved from its status as a language of contact among diverse cultures, even as it embodies the history of communities in eastern and central Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean world. The Story of Swahili calls for a reevaluation of the widespread assumption that cultural superiority, military conquest, and economic dominance determine a language’s prosperity. This sweeping history gives a vibrant, living language its due, highlighting its nimbleness from its beginnings to its place today in the fast-changing world of global communication.
  swahili origin: The Swahili Derek Nurse, Thomas Spear, 2017-06-10 As an introduction to how the history of an African society can be reconstructed from largely nonliterate sources, and to the Swahili in particular, . . . a model work.—International Journal of African Historical Studies
  swahili origin: Swahili Origins J. de V. Allen, 1993 Kiswahili has become the lingua franca of eastern Africa. Yet there can be few historic peoples whose identity is as elusive as that of the Swahili. Some have described themselves as Arabs, as Persians or even, in one place, as Portuguese. It is doubtful whether, even today, most of the people about whom this book is written would unhesitatingly and in all contexts accept the name Swahili. This book was central to the thought and lifework of the late James de Vere Allen. It is his major study of the origin of the Swahili and of their cultural identity. He focuses on how the African element in their cultural patrimony was first modified by Islam and later changed until many Swahili themselves lost sight of it. They share a language and they share a culture. Their territory stretches from the coast of southern Somalia to the Lamu archipelago in Kenya, to the Rovuma River in modern Mozambique and out into the islands of the Indian Ocean. But they lack a shared historical experience. James de Vere Allen, in this study of contentious originality, set out to give modern Swahili evidence of their shared history during a period of eight centuries.
  swahili origin: African Merchants of the Indian Ocean John Middleton, 2004 This new monograph serves as an authoritative introduction to an unusual people of eastern Africa known as Swahili. Middleton, who has known these people for a half a century, describes their highly stratified, merchant society and civilization, documenting their importance both for anthropologists and for others interested in Africa. Swahili continue today their centuries-old role as merchants in long-distance international trade, a role that has led them to form a society very distinct from any other in Africa. Middleton's brief, personal treatment discusses Swahili recorded history as an integral part of their rich tradition and civilization. He clears up past confusions and mistaken assumptions without trying to define a single Swahili identity. His lucid approach unravels contradictions about Swahili being merchants and yet fishermen, who live in both cities as well as small villages, and who reckon various kinds of kinship and marriage. Swahili are often considered by non-Swahili as being both Africans and Arabs, but Middleton shows that they remain African despite having long adopted Islam and many aspects of Arab and Asian cultures.--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
  swahili origin: Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa C. Magbaily Fyle, 1999 Introduction to the History of African Civilization explores the major issues dominating African Civilization from the earliest recorded period to the eve of colonial conquest of the continent. C. Magbaily Fyle begins with a discussion of the myths and prejudices underlying most analyses of African issues, and moves into a discussion of the origin of humanity; the similarities between the classical Nile valley civilizations of Egypt, Nubia, Kush, and Axum; and the spread of Islam through African societies. He portrays the systems of precolonial government and society, including the role of women in governance, as well as traditional trade and agricultural patterns. Fyle provides a new perspective on the Islamic Jihads, shifting focus from Sokoto and Macina to the Senegambia and the Upper Guinea region, and a revised interpretation of the Atlantic slave trade, which includes the importance of African objectors to this process. He also discusses important cultural features such as the traditional African food, architecture, and typical structures of towns. food, architecture, and typical structures of towns. food, architecture, and typical structures of towns. food, architecture, and typical structures of towns.
  swahili origin: History, Identity and the Bukusu-Bagisu Relations on the Kenya and Uganda Border Peter Wafula Wekesa, 2023-02-27 This book examines the history of community relations across the Kenya-Uganda border using the case of the Bukusu and the Bagisu. From this microcosmic level, the book explores the social, economic, and political relations that have evolved between the two communities and states over time.
  swahili origin: Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures Helaine Selin, 2008-03-12 Here, at last, is the massively updated and augmented second edition of this landmark encyclopedia. It contains approximately 1000 entries dealing in depth with the history of the scientific, technological and medical accomplishments of cultures outside of the United States and Europe. The entries consist of fully updated articles together with hundreds of entirely new topics. This unique reference work includes intercultural articles on broad topics such as mathematics and astronomy as well as thoughtful philosophical articles on concepts and ideas related to the study of non-Western Science, such as rationality, objectivity, and method. You’ll also find material on religion and science, East and West, and magic and science.
  swahili origin: A History of African Societies to 1870 Elizabeth Isichei, 1997-04-13 This comprehensive and detailed exploration of the African past, from prehistory to approximately 1870, is intended to provide a fully up-to-date complement to the Cambridge History of Africa. Reflecting several emphases in recent scholarship, it focusses on the changing modes of production, on gender relations and on ecology, laying particular stress on viewing 'history from below'. A distinctive theme is to be found in its analyses of cognitive history. The work falls into three sections. The first comprises a historiographic analysis, and covers the period from the dawn of prehistory to the end of the Early Iron Age. The second and third sections are, for the most part, organised on regional lines; the second section ends in the sixteenth century; the third carries the story on to 1870. A second volume, now in preparation, will cover the period from 1870 to 1995. This book attempts a more rounded view of African history than most of the other textbooks on the subject addressed to a (largely) undergraduate level student. Earlier histories have tended to ignore some of the current foci in the scholarly literature on Africa, generally not reflected in the textbooks: these include discussions of topical issues like ecology and gender. Isichei's book is also more radical.
  swahili origin: Duelling Languages Carol Myers-Scotton, 1997 The author describes and explains intrasentential codeswitching--the production of two or more languages within the same sentence.
  swahili origin: Language Death Matthias Brenzinger, 2012-10-25 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE brings to students, researchers and practitioners in all of the social and language-related sciences carefully selected book-length publications dealing with sociolinguistic theory, methods, findings and applications. It approaches the study of language in society in its broadest sense, as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches, theoretical and empirical, supplement and complement each other. The series invites the attention of linguists, language teachers of all interests, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, historians etc. to the development of the sociology of language.
  swahili origin: History from Below Johannes Fabian, 1990-01-01 Johannes Fabian with assistance from Kalundi Mango (Administrator, National Museum of Zaire) and with linguistic notes by Walter Schicho (University of Vienna). An extraordinary linguistic and sociopolitical document, this is a history of colonization written by the colonized, about the colonized, and for the colonized. The original text, a history of what is now Lubumbashi in the Shaba region of Zaire, is reproduced in exact facsimile in Part 1. The period covered is from the beginning of Belgian colonization to 1965. The text was commissioned by an association of former domestic servants and written, or compiled, by one Andre Yav. The facsimile text is followed by linguistic notes (provided by W. Schicho) on the variety of Swahili used by the author. In Part 2 this amazing document is twice translated: first, into an oralized' version in current Shaba Swahili and, second, into English. Numerous historical and linguistic notes make the text accessible to the non-specialist. While Parts 1 and 2 are of particular interest to linguists, Part 3 covers a wider area of intellectual concerns. It is an essay analyzing the social conditions, literary means and political purposes and importance of the history. Of interest to linguists, historians, sociologists and political scientists.
  swahili origin: Routledge Revivals: Language in Tanzania (1980) Edgar C. Polomé, C. P. Hill, 2017-09-29 Originally published in 1980, Language in Tanzania presents a comprehensive overview of the Survey of Language Use and Language Teaching in Eastern Africa. Using extensive research carried out by an interdisciplinary group of international and local scholars, the survey also covers Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. The book represents one of the most in-depth sociolinguistic studies carried out on this region at this time. It provides basic linguistic data necessary to policy-makers, administrators, and educators, and will be of interest to those researching the formulation and execution of language policy.
  swahili origin: African Languages, Development and the State Richard Fardon, Graham Furniss, 2002-11 This shows that multilingusim does not pose for Africans the problems of communication that Europeans imagine and that the mismatch between policy statements and their pragmatic outcomes is a far more serious problem for future development
  swahili origin: Movements, Borders, and Identities in Africa Toyin Falola, Aribidesi Adisa Usman, 2009 A groundbreaking interrogation of the myriad causes and effects of African migration, from the pre-colonial to the modern era.
  swahili origin: Music and Ideology Mark Carroll, 2017-07-05 This volume gathers together a cross-section of essays and book chapters dealing with the ways in which musicians and their music have been pressed into the service of political, nationalist and racial ideologies. Arranged chronologically according to their subject matter, the selections cover Western and non-Western musics, as well as art and popular musics, from the eighteenth century to the present day. The introduction features detailed commentaries on sources beyond those included in the volume, and as such provides an invaluable and comprehensive reading list for researchers and educators alike. The volume brings together for the first time seminal articles written by leading scholars, and presents them in such a way as to contribute significantly to our understanding of the use and abuse of music for ideological ends.
  swahili origin: Language of Inequality Nessa Wolfson, Joan Manes, 1985 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE brings to students, researchers and practitioners in all of the social and language-related sciences carefully selected book-length publications dealing with sociolinguistic theory, methods, findings and applications. It approaches the study of language in society in its broadest sense, as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches, theoretical and empirical, supplement and complement each other. The series invites the attention of linguists, language teachers of all interests, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, historians etc. to the development of the sociology of language.
  swahili origin: Loanwords in the World's Languages Martin Haspelmath, Uri Tadmor, 2009 This landmark publication in comparative linguistics is the first comprehensive work to address the general issue of what kinds of words tend to be borrowed from other languages. The authors have assembled a unique database of over 70,000 words from 40 languages from around the world, 18,000 of which are loanwords. This database allows the authors to make empirically founded generalizations about general tendencies of word exchange among languages. --Book Jacket.
  swahili origin: The Archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa Timothy Insoll, 2003-07-03 This is the first general study of the impact of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa. Timothy Insoll charts the historical background as well as the archaeological evidence attesting to the spread of Islam across the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and Nigeria, surveying a time-span from the immediate pre-Islamic period through to the present. He also analyses in detail the syncretism which has occurred between Islam and African traditional religions, and looks at the processes - jihad, trade, missionary activity, prestige - by which Islam spread. This book will be of great relevance to scholars and students, as well as to all those interested in Africa, archaeology, religion and Islam.
  swahili origin: A Material Culture Stephanie Wynne-Jones, 2016-10-07 A Material Culture focuses on objects in Swahili society through the elaboration of an approach that sees people and things as caught up in webs of mutual interaction. It therefore provides both a new theoretical intervention in some of the key themes in material culture studies, including the agency of objects and the ways they were linked to social identities, through the development of the notion of a biography of practice. These theoretical discussions are explored through the archaeology of the Swahili, on the Indian Ocean coast of eastern Africa. This coast was home to a series of settlements from the seventh century onwards; some grew to become coral-built 'stonetowns'. These precolonial towns, such as Kilwa Kisiwani, Mombasa, and Gede, represent a unique urban tradition. They were deeply involved in maritime trade, carried out by a diverse Islamic population. This book suggests that the Swahili are a highly-significant case study for exploration of the relationship between objects and people in the past, as the society was constituted and defined through a particular material setting. Further, it is suggested that this relationship was subtly different than in other areas, and particularly from western models that dominate prevailing analysis. The case is made for an alternative form of materiality, perhaps common to the wider Indian Ocean world, with an emphasis on redistribution and circulation rather than on the accumulation of wealth. The reader will therefore gain familiarity with a little-known and fascinating culture, as well as appreciating the ways that non-western examples can add to our theoretical models.
  swahili origin: Languages and Cultures Mohammad Ali Jazayery, Werner Winter, 2010-11-05 This collection of 64 papers by contributors throughout the world presents work from a variety of fields, primarily Indo-European linguistics and philology, and thus reflects the broad interests of Edgar C. Polomé.
  swahili origin: Ebony , 1968-12 EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.
  swahili origin: Architecture and Order Michael Parker Pearson, Colin Richards, 2003-09-02 Architecture is a powerful medium for representing, ordering and classifying the world, and understanding the use of space is fundamental to archaeological inquiry. Architecture and Order draws on the work of archaeologists, social theorists and architects to explore the way in which people relate to the architecture which surrounds them. In many societies, houses and tombs have encoded cultural meanings and values which are invoked and recalled through the practices of daily life. Chapters include explorations of the early farming r archi*eye of Europe, from before the use of metals, to the Classical and Medieval worlds of the Mediterranean and Europe. Research of the recent past and present include an overview of hunter-gatherers' camp organization, a reassessment of the use of space amongst the Dogon of West Africa and an examination of mental disorders relating to the use of space in Britain. The volume goes beyond the implication that culture determines form to develop an approach that integrates meaning and practice.
  swahili origin: The Edge of Islam Janet McIntosh, 2009-07-29 In this theoretically rich exploration of ethnic and religious tensions, Janet McIntosh demonstrates how the relationship between two ethnic groups in the bustling Kenyan town of Malindi is reflected in and shaped by the different ways the two groups relate to Islam. While Swahili and Giriama peoples are historically interdependent, today Giriama find themselves literally and metaphorically on the margins, peering in at a Swahili life of greater social and economic privilege. Giriama are frustrated to find their ethnic identity disparaged and their versions of Islam sometimes rejected by Swahili. The Edge of Islam explores themes as wide-ranging as spirit possession, divination, healing rituals, madness, symbolic pollution, ideologies of money, linguistic code-switching, and syncretism and its alternatives. McIntosh shows how the differing versions of Islam practiced by Swahili and Giriama, and their differing understandings of personhood, have figured in the growing divisions between the two groups. Her ethnographic analysis helps to explain why Giriama view Islam, a supposedly universal religion, as belonging more deeply to certain ethnic groups than to others; why Giriama use Islam in their rituals despite the fact that so many do not consider the religion their own; and how Giriama appropriations of Islam subtly reinforce a distance between the religion and themselves. The Edge of Islam advances understanding of ethnic essentialism, religious plurality, spirit possession, local conceptions of personhood, and the many meanings of “Islam” across cultures.
  swahili origin: Sources and Methods in African History Toyin Falola, Christian Jennings, 2004 An overview of the ongoing methods used to understand African history. Spurred in part by the ongoing re-evaluation of sources and methods in research, African historiography in the past two decades has been characterized by the continued branching and increasing sophistication of methodologies and areas of specialization. The rate of incorporation of new sources and methods into African historical research shows no signs of slowing. This book is both a snapshot of current academic practice and an attempt to sort throughsome of the problems scholars face within this unfolding web of sources and methods. The book is divided into five sections, each of which begins with a short introduction by a distinguished Africanist scholar. The first sectiondeals with archaeological contributions to historical research. The second section examines the methodologies involved in deciphering historically accurate African ethnic identities from the records of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The third section mines old documentary sources for new historical perspectives. The fourth section deals with the method most often associated with African historians, that of drawing historical data from oral tradition. Thefifth section is devoted to essays that present innovative sources and methods for African historical research. Together, the essays in this cutting-edge volume represent the current state of the art in African historical research. Toyin Falola is the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Christian Jennings is a Doctoral Candidatein History at the University of Texas at Austin.
  swahili origin: Encyclopedia of African Religion Molefi Kete Asante, Ama Mazama, 2008-11-26 Numerous titles focusing on particular beliefs in Africa exist, including Marcel Griaule′s Conversations with Ogotemmeli, but this one presents an unparallelled exploration of a multitude of cultures and experiences. It is both a gateway to deeper exploration and a penetrating resource on its own. This is bound to become the definitive scholarly resource on African religions. — Library Journal, Starred Review Overall, because of its singular focus, reliability, and scope, this encyclopedia will prove invaluable where there is considerable interest in Africa or in different religious traditions. –Library Journal As the first comprehensive work to assemble ideas, concepts, discourses, and extensive essays in this vital area, the Encyclopedia of African Religion explores such topics as deities and divinities, the nature of humanity, the end of life, the conquest of fear, and the quest for attainment of harmony with nature and other humans. Editors Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama include nearly 500 entries that seek to rediscover the original beauty and majesty of African religion. Features · Offers the best representation to date of the African response to the sacred · Helps readers grasp the enormity of Africa′s contribution to religious ideas by presenting richly textured concepts of spirituality, ritual, and initiation while simultaneously advancing new theological categories, cosmological narratives, and ways to conceptualize ethical behavior · Provides readers with new metaphors, figures of speech, modes of reasoning, etymologies, analogies, and cosmogonies · Reveals the complexity, texture, and rhythms of the African religious tradition to provide scholars with a baseline for future works The Encyclopedia of African Religion is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in fields such as Religion, Africana Studies, Sociology, and Philosophy.
  swahili origin: The Economic Roots of Conflict and Cooperation in Africa W. Ascher, N. Mirovitskaya, 2013-11-07 This book combines overviews of the nature and causes of inter-group violence in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa with a collection of country case studies. Both the overview chapter and the case studies trace how economic policy initiatives, and consequent changes in the roles and statuses of various groups, shape conflict or cooperation.
  swahili origin: Encyclopedia of Africa Anthony Appiah, Henry Louis Gates (Jr.), 2010 The Encyclopedia of Africa presents the most up-to-date and thorough reference on this region of ever-growing importance in world history, politics, and culture. Its core is comprised of the entries focusing on African history and culture from 2005's acclaimed five-volume Africana - nearly two-thirds of these 1,300 entries have been updated, revised, and expanded to reflect the most recent scholarship. Organized in an A-Z format, the articles cover prominent individuals, events, trends, places, political movements, art forms, business and trade, religions, ethnic groups, organizations, and countries throughout Africa. There are articles on contemporary nations of sub-Saharan Africa, ethnic groups from various regions of Africa, and European colonial powers. Other examples include Congo River, Ivory trade, Mau Mau rebellion, and Pastoralism. The Encyclopedia of Africa is sure to become the essential resource in the field.
  swahili origin: Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, Jean-Pierre Angenot, 2008-07-31 The presence of Africans in Asia has been overshadowed by the tragedy of Atlantic slavery. Identifying Africans in Asia therefore challenges contemporary scholarship. Within this context, the processes of assimilation and marginalisation hinder identification of African migrants. This book demonstrates the multiplicity of roles performed by Africans and the heights that a few of them reached, even in a single generation. Drawing on a variety of sources, both oral and documented, this book reveals the extent of the African presence in Asia.
  swahili origin: The Power of Babel Ali A. Mazrui, Alamin M. Mazrui, Alamin Mazrui, 1998-08-03 Linguists estimate that there are currently nearly 2,000 languages in Africa, a staggering figure that is belied by the relatively few national languages. While African national politics, economics, and law are all conducted primarily in the colonial languages, the cultural life of the majority of citizens is conducted in a bewildering Babel of local and regional dialects, making language itself the center of debates over multiculturalism, gender studies, and social theory. In The Power of Babel, the noted Africanist scholar Ali Mazrui and linguist Alamin Mazrui explore this vast territory of African language. The Power of Babel is one of the first comprehensive studies of the complex linguistic constellations of Africa. It draws on Ali Mazrui's earlier work in its examination of the triple heritage of African culture, in which indigenous, Islamic, and Western traditions compete for influence. In bringing the idea of the triple heritage to language, the Mazruis unravel issues of power, culture, and modernity as they are embedded in African linguistic life. The first section of the book takes a global perspective, exploring such issues as the Eurocentrism of much linguistic scholarship on Africa; part two takes an African perspective on a variety of issues from the linguistically disadvantaged position of women in Africa to the relation of language policy and democratic development; the third section presents a set of regional studies, centering on the Swahili language's exemplification of the triple heritage.The Power of Babel unites empirical information with theories of nationalism and pluralism—among others—to offer the richest contextual account of African languages to date.
  swahili origin: Concise Oxford English Dictionary Angus Stevenson, Maurice Waite, 2011-08-18 Combining both the print dictionary and CD-ROM in one package, this set offers the user access to over 240,000 words, phrases and definitions. Combining both the print dictionary and CD-ROM in one package, this set offers dual access to the centennial edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, with over 240,000 words, phrases, and definitions, providing superb coverage of contemporary English, including rare, historical, and archaic terms, scientific and technical vocabulary, and English from around the world. The dictionary has been updated with hundreds of new words and it features an engaging new center section, with quick-reference word lists and a revised and updated English Uncovered supplement. System requirements Windows(R) Intel(R) Pentium(R) II 450MHz or faster processor (or equivalent); Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7, Windows Vista(R), Windows(R) ServerTM 2003, Windows(R) XP, Windows(R) 2000. Macintosh(R) PowerPC(R) G3 500MHz or faster processor; Intel(R) CoreTM Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor; Mac(R) (PowerPC(R)): OS X 10.1.x - 10.4.x; Mac(R) (Intel(R)): OS X 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x. All Platforms: 250 MB free hard disk space; monitor with 1024 x 768 pixels and high colour (16 bits per pixel, i.e. 65,536 colours); local CD-ROM/DVD drive (for installation); 16-bit sound card; 512 MB RAM; runs from hard drive only.
  swahili origin: Linguistic Convergence and Areal Diffusion Éva Ágnes Csató, Bo Isaksson, Carina Jahani, 2005 The volume in the field of Iranian, Semitic and Turkic contact linguistics, is the first of its kind, providing a summary of the present results of this dynamic field of research.
  swahili origin: A Comparative Study of Thirty City-state Cultures Mogens Herman Hansen, 2000
  swahili origin: The Pate Chronicle Marina Tolmacheva, 2012-01-01 In late October 1890, a British force led by Admiral Fremantle assaulted and subdued the East African town of Witu, the mainland capital of the Nabahani rulers of Pate; five years later, the entire region and the adjacent coastal islands came under British administration. One of the great tragedies suffered as a result of Admiral Fremantle's initial attack was the loss of the original manuscript of the history of Pate, The Book of the Kings of Pate. This historical work in its various forms is representative of a living historical tradition developed in the coastal city-states of East Africa and is considered one of the important literary treasures of their culture and society. It also stands as the most important indigenous source for Swahili history, the history of the Swahili language, its dialects, and its written tradition. The four Arabic-Swahili versions (manuscripts 177, 321, 344, and 358 of the Library of the University of Dar es Salaam) presented here in The Pate Chronicle add significantly to the growing pool of information available about Pate and East Africa before the era of European colonialism.
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  swahili origin: The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology and Language Martine Robbeets, Mark Hudson, 2025-06-24 This volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of how archaeology, genes, and language can be combined to shed light on the human past. Our understanding of human prehistory has been revolutionized in recent years by the growth of interdisciplinary perspectives, and particularly by insights from the study of ancient DNA. At a time when the 'Big Data' movement in genetics and archaeology is beginning to make inroads into linguistics, The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology and Language sets the agenda for future research in the discipline of archaeolinguistics. The handbook is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the basic frameworks of archaeolinguistics, addressing recent trends and new perspectives. Chapters in Part II explore the application of archaeolinguistics to different stages in human history, from hunter-gathering via the adoption of farming and the rise of writing to modern times. Part III features regional case studies from different parts of the world, including not only Indo-European but also Uralic, Transeurasian, Sino-Tibetan, Paleosiberian, Tai-Kadai, Austronesian, Papuan, Australian, Afrasian, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, Kalahari Basin, Andean, and Lowland South American languages. In illustrating the extent to which linguistic, archaeological, and genetic histories align or differ, the volume goes beyond the level of 'broad brush' approaches by engaging specialists from a range of disciplines as co-authors, shedding light on language dynamics from multiple perspectives.
  swahili origin: Copies versus Cognates in Bound Morphology , 2012-07-05 Genealogical linguistics and areal linguistics are rarely treated from an integrated perspective even if they are twin faces of diachronic linguistics. In Copies versus Cognates in Bound Morphology Lars Johanson and Martine Robbeets take up this challenge. The result is a wealth of empirical facts and different theoretical approaches, advanced by internationally renowned specialists and young scholars whose research is highly pertinent to the topic. Copies versus Cognates in Bound Morphology puts genealogical and areal explanation for shared morphology in a balanced perspective and works out criteria to distinguish between morphological cognates and copies. Lars Johanson and Martine Robbeets provide nothing less than the foundations for a new perspective on diachronic linguistics between genealogical and areal linguistics. Contributors include: Alexandra Aikhenvald, Ad Backus, Dik Bakker, Peter Bakker, Éva Csató, Stig Eliasson, Victor Friedman, Francesco Gardani, Anthony Grant, Salomé Gutiérrez-Morales, Tooru Hayasi, Ewald Hekking, Juha Janhunen, Lars Johanson, Brian Joseph, Folke Josephson, Judith Josephson, Johanna Nichols, Martine Robbeets, Marshall Unger, Nikki van de Pol, Anna Verschik, Lindsay Whaley.
  swahili origin: The Bright Nights and Drumbeats from Mama Africa fatha John Patrick Kamau, 2014-10-29 For years war and at times preventable scenarios have taken life, maimed others, crippled yet others mentally, physically and intellectually, if not spiritually, The T4 program, PTSD and all.... worldwide. For the authors generation, The 1970's brought in cholera, the 1980's brought in the AIDs/HIV scare, and then the unholy beverages, .... not without pioneering conspiracy theories to back them up Mayan.... illuminati conspiracies, Georgia guide stones and all types of fantasy. Would there be any survivors? The 20th century was dominated by ethnic, race, political and religious struggles and conflicts; the 21st century has vastly inherited the problem with a huge shift in attitude and preference, but in all this, what is the future for Persons with Disabilities in a world of alternative lifestyles, eugenics, euthanasia, acclaimed United Nations human rights and conventions? sequel to The Bright Dark Nights Of The Soul book - (2013) script, the author a recipient of the Pro Ecclesia gold medal award from the late Saint Pope John Paul II avails for posterity diaries and points for reflections on cultural and humanitarian perspectives impacting on aspects of existential crisis, search for meaning and purpose for persons with Disabilities deeper into the 21st century. With contributions and insights from Corporate social responsibility initiatives, scholars, clergy, custodians of persons with disabilities, persons who lived in the 19th and 20th century in Africa: Some who served in the American Peace Corps in 1960's Africa, encounters with so called - natives and savages, War Veterans and members of the armed forces, multicultural religious and missionary icons, contemporary peace and outreach initiatives from international religious, secular and political leaders: Towards this end, a case study paper in the United States on a Disabilities outreach project in Africa is availed in Six language translations, French, Spanish, Portuguese, English and the Luo and kikuyu African Languages to hopefully stimulate further multicultural reflections and action in the diaspora communities towards persons with disabilities.
  swahili origin: Giving Space to African Voices Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite, 2014-08-07 This book sets out to bring voices of the South to the debate on localization of education and makes the case that it should be considered a right in education. Despite all the scientifically-based evidence on the improved quality of education through the use of a local language and local knowledge, English as a language of instruction and “Western” knowledge based curriculum continue to be used at all educational levels in many developing nations. This means that in many African countries, the goal of rights to education is becoming increasingly remote, let alone that of rights in education. With this understanding and with the awareness of the education challenges of millions of children throughout Africa, the authors argue that local curriculum through local languages needs to be valued and to be preserved, and that children need to be prepared for the world in a language that promotes understanding. The authors make a clear case that policy makers are in a position to work towards a quality education for all as part of a more comprehensive right-based approach. We owe it to the children of the South to offer the best quality education possible in order to achieve social justice.
  swahili origin: In Search of Living Knowledge Marja-Liisa Swantz, 2016-01-01 Marja-Liisa Swantz has spent a lifetime conducting participatory action research in Tanzania, and In Search of Living Knowledge encapsulates her reactions. She started her career in 1952 in Tanganyika as an instructor to the first generation of women teachers at Ashira Teachers Training College, situated on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. In the first years of Tanzanias independence from Britain, she devoted five years (1965-1970) to participant research in a coastal Zaramo village near the capital city of Dar es Salaam. The research culminated in her book, Ritual and Symbol in Transitional Tanzanian Society, and a doctorate in Anthropology of Religion, which she received from the Swedish University of Uppsala in 1970. The author further developed the Participatory Approach to research while serving as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1972 to 1975. After becoming a lecturer at the University of Helsinki she continued to develop Participatory Action Research with Tanzanian and Finnish doctoral candidates in a project in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, known as Jipemoyo. She continued to apply the participatory approach in research projects as Director of the Institute of Development Research at the University of Helsinki, where she taught anthropology, and as a Senior Researcher at the World Institute for Development Economics Research Institute in Helsinki in the 1980s. Since retirement, the author has continued her research, writing, and participation in development projects in Tanzania, including projects in Mtwara and Lindi from 1992 to 1998, and for 12 years while involved in a Local Government Cooperation project between Hartola in Finland and Iramba in Tanzania.
Swahili language - Wikipedia
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili as it is referred to in the Swahili language, is a Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and …

Swahili language | African Lingua Franca, Bantu Language
May 16, 2025 · Swahili language, Bantu language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a fluent second language on the east coast of Africa in an area extending from Lamu Island, Kenya, in …

Swahili language - New World Encyclopedia
Swahili is the mother tongue of the Swahili people (or Waswahili) who inhabit several large stretches of the Indian Ocean coastlines from southern Somalia as far south as Mozambique's …

Swahili – The Languages
Swahili, known natively as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language that serves as the lingua franca in a vast part of East Africa. The language has more than 100 million speakers and holds official status …

What is Swahili? (with pictures) - Language Humanities
May 23, 2024 · Swahili is a Bantu language spoken throughout Eastern Africa by over 40 million people. It is related to other Bantu languages such as Lusoga, Zulu, Xhosa, and Ngumba, …

The History and Origins of the Swahili Language
The Swahili language, known as Kiswahili in its native context, is a fascinating and rich linguistic tapestry woven from various historical, cultural, and geographical threads. As one of the most …

Swahili alphabet, pronunciation and language - Omniglot
Swahili is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, and also in Burundi, Mozambique, Oman, Somalia the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa. …

Swahili for Beginners: A Comprehensive Guide
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language spoken by millions of people across East Africa. It is one of the official languages of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic …

Complete Guide to Swahili/Kiswahili — All You Want to Know
Dec 17, 2018 · Everything you want to know about Swahili (aka Kiswahili) — its history, where it's spoken, how to learn it, how to pronounce it, and more.

The story of how Swahili became Africa’s most spoken language
Feb 20, 2022 · Once just an obscure island dialect of an African Bantu tongue, Swahili has evolved into Africa’s most internationally recognised language. It is peer to the few languages …

Swahili language - Wikipedia
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili as it is referred to in the Swahili language, is a Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and …

Swahili language | African Lingua Franca, Bantu Language
May 16, 2025 · Swahili language, Bantu language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a fluent second language on the east coast of Africa in an area extending from Lamu Island, Kenya, in …

Swahili language - New World Encyclopedia
Swahili is the mother tongue of the Swahili people (or Waswahili) who inhabit several large stretches of the Indian Ocean coastlines from southern Somalia as far south as Mozambique's …

Swahili – The Languages
Swahili, known natively as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language that serves as the lingua franca in a vast part of East Africa. The language has more than 100 million speakers and holds official status …

What is Swahili? (with pictures) - Language Humanities
May 23, 2024 · Swahili is a Bantu language spoken throughout Eastern Africa by over 40 million people. It is related to other Bantu languages such as Lusoga, Zulu, Xhosa, and Ngumba, …

The History and Origins of the Swahili Language
The Swahili language, known as Kiswahili in its native context, is a fascinating and rich linguistic tapestry woven from various historical, cultural, and geographical threads. As one of the most …

Swahili alphabet, pronunciation and language - Omniglot
Swahili is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, and also in Burundi, Mozambique, Oman, Somalia the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa. …

Swahili for Beginners: A Comprehensive Guide
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language spoken by millions of people across East Africa. It is one of the official languages of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic …

Complete Guide to Swahili/Kiswahili — All You Want to Know
Dec 17, 2018 · Everything you want to know about Swahili (aka Kiswahili) — its history, where it's spoken, how to learn it, how to pronounce it, and more.

The story of how Swahili became Africa’s most spoken language
Feb 20, 2022 · Once just an obscure island dialect of an African Bantu tongue, Swahili has evolved into Africa’s most internationally recognised language. It is peer to the few languages …