Author: John M. Mugane
Publisher: Ohio University Press
ISBN: 0896804895
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
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.
The Story of Swahili
Author: John M. Mugane
Publisher: Ohio University Press
ISBN: 0896804895
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
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.
Publisher: Ohio University Press
ISBN: 0896804895
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
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.
The Swahili World
Author: Stephanie Wynne-Jones
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317430166
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 672
Book Description
The Swahili World presents the fascinating story of a major world civilization, exploring the archaeology, history, linguistics, and anthropology of the Indian Ocean coast of Africa. It covers a 1,500-year sweep of history, from the first settlement of the coast to the complex urban tradition found there today. Swahili towns contain monumental palaces, tombs, and mosques, set among more humble houses; they were home to fishers, farmers, traders, and specialists of many kinds. The towns have been Muslim since perhaps the eighth century CE, participating in international networks connecting people around the Indian Ocean rim and beyond. Successive colonial regimes have helped shape modern Swahili society, which has incorporated such influences into the region’s long-standing cosmopolitan tradition. This is the first volume to explore the Swahili in chronological perspective. Each chapter offers a unique wealth of detail on an aspect of the region’s past, written by the leading scholars on the subject. The result is a book that allows both specialist and non-specialist readers to explore the diversity of the Swahili tradition, how Swahili society has changed over time, as well as how our understandings of the region have shifted since Swahili studies first began. Scholars of the African continent will find the most nuanced and detailed consideration of Swahili culture, language and history ever produced. For readers unfamiliar with the region or the people involved, the chapters here provide an ideal introduction to a new and wonderful geography, at the interface of Africa and the Indian Ocean world, and among a people whose culture remains one of Africa’s most distinctive achievements.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317430166
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 672
Book Description
The Swahili World presents the fascinating story of a major world civilization, exploring the archaeology, history, linguistics, and anthropology of the Indian Ocean coast of Africa. It covers a 1,500-year sweep of history, from the first settlement of the coast to the complex urban tradition found there today. Swahili towns contain monumental palaces, tombs, and mosques, set among more humble houses; they were home to fishers, farmers, traders, and specialists of many kinds. The towns have been Muslim since perhaps the eighth century CE, participating in international networks connecting people around the Indian Ocean rim and beyond. Successive colonial regimes have helped shape modern Swahili society, which has incorporated such influences into the region’s long-standing cosmopolitan tradition. This is the first volume to explore the Swahili in chronological perspective. Each chapter offers a unique wealth of detail on an aspect of the region’s past, written by the leading scholars on the subject. The result is a book that allows both specialist and non-specialist readers to explore the diversity of the Swahili tradition, how Swahili society has changed over time, as well as how our understandings of the region have shifted since Swahili studies first began. Scholars of the African continent will find the most nuanced and detailed consideration of Swahili culture, language and history ever produced. For readers unfamiliar with the region or the people involved, the chapters here provide an ideal introduction to a new and wonderful geography, at the interface of Africa and the Indian Ocean world, and among a people whose culture remains one of Africa’s most distinctive achievements.
The Swahili
Author: Derek Nurse
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812212075
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
"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
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812212075
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 148
Book Description
"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
Sungura and Leopard
Author:
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 0822568012
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32
Book Description
A small but clever hare and a fierce leopard agree to share a house, but as the hare's family grows, he realizes that he must find a way to get rid of his bad-tempered neighbor.
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 0822568012
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32
Book Description
A small but clever hare and a fierce leopard agree to share a house, but as the hare's family grows, he realizes that he must find a way to get rid of his bad-tempered neighbor.
Jambo Means Hello
Author: Muriel L. Feelings
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781437977080
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49
Book Description
This book introduces the reader to words in Swahili, the language spoken across more of Africa than any other language. Author Muriel Feelings states in her introduction: żThere is a Swahili proverb that says: 'Haba na haba hujaza kibabaż: Little by little fills the measure. It is hoped that through this introduction to Swahili, children of African ancestry will seek to learn more little by littleż, through available books, people, and travel.ż In fact, children of any ancestry will also enjoy learning the Swahili words presented here. Tom Feelingsż sepia-toned illustrations of life in Africa are subtle yet luminous. Includes a map of the continent of Africa, showing countries where Swahili is spoken. żA lyrical song of Swahili life.ż żSuperbly beautiful.ż A Caldecott Honor Book.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781437977080
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49
Book Description
This book introduces the reader to words in Swahili, the language spoken across more of Africa than any other language. Author Muriel Feelings states in her introduction: żThere is a Swahili proverb that says: 'Haba na haba hujaza kibabaż: Little by little fills the measure. It is hoped that through this introduction to Swahili, children of African ancestry will seek to learn more little by littleż, through available books, people, and travel.ż In fact, children of any ancestry will also enjoy learning the Swahili words presented here. Tom Feelingsż sepia-toned illustrations of life in Africa are subtle yet luminous. Includes a map of the continent of Africa, showing countries where Swahili is spoken. żA lyrical song of Swahili life.ż żSuperbly beautiful.ż A Caldecott Honor Book.
How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots
Author: Barbara Knutson
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 0761357912
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36
Book Description
The Guinea Fowl and Cow are best friends. Both of them keep an eye out for Lion. When Lion threatens, each must intervene to save the other. Beautiful watercolors transform this tale into a visual delight.
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 0761357912
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36
Book Description
The Guinea Fowl and Cow are best friends. Both of them keep an eye out for Lion. When Lion threatens, each must intervene to save the other. Beautiful watercolors transform this tale into a visual delight.
Speak Swahili, Dammit!
Author: James Penhaligon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780956890214
Category : English
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This popular and well-reviewed book has now been revised with the assistance of several enthusiastic readers, former and current expatriates and Kenyan and Tanzanian friends.The captivating story recounts the humour and tragedy of the author's life as a young boy growing up in what was then colonial Tanganyika and Kenya, and the newly independent countries which emerged. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Africa before and after the Winds of Change swept across the continent to alter the lives of so many lucky enough to experience those times. Like many who were born and lived in Africa, the author's life was not the easy one people think colonial expatriates enjoyed, and he relates so vividly his own tragic experiences with hardship, danger and death. Many perils abounded from wild animals, venomous snakes and deadly tropical illnesses. Notwithstanding the ever-present black shadow of death and danger, was the natural instinct of kids to have fun, and the escapades and pleasure the author and his contemporaries created for themselves is related by Penhaligon with rib-aching humour.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780956890214
Category : English
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This popular and well-reviewed book has now been revised with the assistance of several enthusiastic readers, former and current expatriates and Kenyan and Tanzanian friends.The captivating story recounts the humour and tragedy of the author's life as a young boy growing up in what was then colonial Tanganyika and Kenya, and the newly independent countries which emerged. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Africa before and after the Winds of Change swept across the continent to alter the lives of so many lucky enough to experience those times. Like many who were born and lived in Africa, the author's life was not the easy one people think colonial expatriates enjoyed, and he relates so vividly his own tragic experiences with hardship, danger and death. Many perils abounded from wild animals, venomous snakes and deadly tropical illnesses. Notwithstanding the ever-present black shadow of death and danger, was the natural instinct of kids to have fun, and the escapades and pleasure the author and his contemporaries created for themselves is related by Penhaligon with rib-aching humour.
Making Identity on the Swahili Coast
Author: Steven Fabian
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108492045
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
A re-examination of the historical development of urban identity and community along the Swahili Coast.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108492045
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
A re-examination of the historical development of urban identity and community along the Swahili Coast.
Kuku and Mwewe - A Swahili Folktale
Author: Marta Munté Vidal
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
ISBN: 8415619987
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
A wonderful tale inspired by an old Swahili legend, The Chicken and the Eagle will reveal an amazing secret, and Kuku and Mwewe will live in your imagination forever. Guided Reading Level: M, Lexile Level: 770L
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
ISBN: 8415619987
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
A wonderful tale inspired by an old Swahili legend, The Chicken and the Eagle will reveal an amazing secret, and Kuku and Mwewe will live in your imagination forever. Guided Reading Level: M, Lexile Level: 770L
Moja Means One
Author: Muriel L. Feelings
Publisher: Perfection Learning
ISBN: 9780812453805
Category : Africa, East
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
A counting book that gives a beautiful tribute to the heritage of east Africa.
Publisher: Perfection Learning
ISBN: 9780812453805
Category : Africa, East
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
A counting book that gives a beautiful tribute to the heritage of east Africa.