The Acquisition of Swahili
The Acquisition of Swahili

Author: Kamil Ud Deen

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2005-01-01

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9789027253002

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This monograph is the first study of the acquisition of Swahili as a first language. It focuses on the acquisition of inflectional affixes, with a particular emphasis on subject agreement and tense. Other inflectional affixes are also investigated, including object agreement and mood. The study surveys the adult dialect in question, Nairobi Swahili, discussing social, phonological, morphological and syntactic properties. Data, analyses and copious examples are presented of the naturalistic speech of four Swahili speaking children. The data are tested against six influential theories of child language, and the results show that processing and metrical theories of telegraphic speech fail to account for the observed patterns, while grammatical theories of child language fair significantly better. The data and analyses presented in this book are indispensable for linguists and psychologists interested in the acquisition of inflectional material and other cross-linguistic properties of child language.

Swahili and Sabaki
Swahili and Sabaki

Author: Derek Nurse

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 813

ISBN-13: 0520097750

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The Sabaki languages form a major Bantu subgroup and are spoken by 35 million East Africans in Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Comoro Islands. The authors provide a historical/comparative treatment of Swahili (and other Sabaki languages), an account of the relationship of Swahili to Sabaki and to other Bantu languages, and some data on contemporary Sabaki languages. Data sets, appendices, maps, and figures present essential information on phonology, lexical makeup, and tense/aspect morphology. The final chapter is a synthesis describing the linguistic and historical relationship of the Sabaki dialects to each other and to hypothetical proto-stages.

Language Acquisition and Development
Language Acquisition and Development

Author: Misha Becker

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0262043580

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An introduction to the study of children's language development that provides a uniquely accessible perspective on generative/universal grammar–based approaches. How children acquire language so quickly, easily, and uniformly is one of the great mysteries of the human experience. The theory of Universal Grammar suggests that one reason for the relative ease of early language acquisition is that children are born with a predisposition to create a grammar. This textbook offers an introduction to the study of children's acquisition and development of language from a generative/universal grammar–based theoretical perspective, providing comprehensive coverage of children's acquisition while presenting core concepts crucial to understanding generative linguistics more broadly. After laying the theoretical groundwork, including consideration of alternative frameworks, the book explores the development of the sound system of language—children's perception and production of speech sound; examines how words are learned (lexical semantics) and how words are formed (morphology); investigates sentence structure (syntax), including argument structure, functional structure, and tense; considers such “nontypical” circumstances as acquiring a first language past infancy and early childhood, without the abilities to hear or see, and with certain cognitive disorders; and studies bilingual language acquisition, both simultaneously and in sequence. Each chapter offers a summary section, suggestions for further reading, and exercises designed to test students' understanding of the material and provide opportunities to practice analyzing children's language. Appendixes provide charts of the International Phonetic Alphabet (with links to websites that allow students to listen to the sounds associated with these symbols) and a summary of selected experimental methodologies.

Creolization and Pidginization in Contexts of Postcolonial Diversity
Creolization and Pidginization in Contexts of Postcolonial Diversity

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-02-27

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9004363394

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This book deals with creolization and pidginization of language, culture and identity and makes use of interdisciplinary approaches developed in the study of the latter. Creolization and pidginization are conceptualized and investigated as specific social processes in the course of which new common languages, socio-cultural practices and identifications are developed under distinct social and political conditions and in different historical and local contexts of diversity. The contributions show that creolization and pidginization are important strategies to deal with identity and difference in a world in which diversity is closely linked with inequalities that relate to specific group memberships, colonial legacies and social norms and values.

Swahili
Swahili

Author: Wilfred Whiteley

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-12-20

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 1003804853

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Originally published in 1969, this book examines the factors which at different historical periods led people to use one language (Swahili) rather than another, or within a given period, to use a particular language in one set of circumstances. The national language of Tanzania and much of East Africa, Swahili is unique among African languages in its verse literature, which dates back to the 18th Century and was written in the Arabic script. This book traces the remarkable expansion of Swahili, which was linked with the expansion of trace, missionary activities and the establishment of Colonial administrations and the development of education.

Swahili State and Society
Swahili State and Society

Author: Ali AlʼAmin Mazrui

Publisher: East African Publishers

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 9789966468239

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This text examines the social and political impact of the Swahili language.

African linguistics on the prairie
African linguistics on the prairie

Author: Jason Kandybowicz

Publisher: Language Science Press

Published: 2018-06-15

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 3961100365

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African Linguistics on the Prairie features select revised peer-reviewed papers from the 45th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, held at the University of Kansas. The articles in this volume reflect the enormous diversity of African languages, as they focus on languages from all of the major African language phyla. The articles here also reflect the many different research perspectives that frame the work of linguists in the Association for Contemporary African Linguistics. The diversity of views presented in this volume are thus indicative of the vitality of current African linguistics research. The work presented in this volume represents both descriptive and theoretical methodologies and covers fields ranging from phonetics, phonology, morphology, typology, syntax, and semantics to sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language acquisition, computational linguistics and beyond. This broad scope and the quality of the articles contained within holds out the promise of continued advancement in linguistic research on African languages.

Jambo Means Hello
Jambo Means Hello

Author: Muriel L. Feelings

Publisher:

Published: 2011-05

Total Pages: 49

ISBN-13: 9781437977080

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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.

Swahili People and Their Language
Swahili People and Their Language

Author: Dainess Mashiku Maganda

Publisher: Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd

Published: 2014-03-22

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 191223470X

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History is a testament to what happened to a people or a place. It shows how things were and their transformation while explaining why the changes happened. Not only does history allow human beings to trace their trajectory in dealing with specific issues they face in the affairs of making a living, it also highlights movements between people around the world while showing their role in creating systems still in place today. History reveals to us major contributors of the trading systems along the east coast of Africa, documenting the role of the Swahili people and their interactions with different people of the world.The Swahili People and Their Language discusses ways in which the Swahili people came to occupy a prominent position in the world's trading system and how they lost their wealth through their contact with the outside world. The book highlights the strategic position occupied by the Swahili people, their natural resources, their skills and their rich cultural mix and how the contact with the outside world played a major influence that is clearly noticeable to date. The book contributes to the on-going discussion about Africans and their participation in today's development and reminds readers that the creation of the current economic, social and political situation of the Swahili people mirrors the history and positioning of many other formerly independent societies that became colonized nation-states. The authors provide discussions that shade light on critical questions such as: Who are the Swahili people and why are they important? Is there such a thing as a Swahili Civilization? If so, what is it and how does it relate to modern civilization? What place does the Swahili language occupy both in its history and usage on the continent and in the rest of the world?