Derivation of non-Bantu words in Swahili (MS 380630a)
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Material Information

Title:
Derivation of non-Bantu words in Swahili (MS 380630a)
Series Title:
Miscellaneous Swahili manuscripts :
Creator:
Johnson, Frederick,‏ ‎-1937 ( Author, Primary )
Publication Date:
Materials:
Paper ( medium )
Technique:
Typescript manuscript with black ink; pages contained within a brown cover and the whole material is enclosed into two hard pages

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Swahili language ( LCSH )
Swahili linguistics
Swahili language -- Grammar ( LCSH )
Swahili loan words
Foreign words and phrases
Swahili language -- Foreign words and phrases ( LCSH )
Inter-territorial Language (Swahili) Committee to the East African Dependencies‏ ( LCNA )
Genre:
Essays ( LCGFT )
Spatial Coverage:
Africa -- Eastern Africa -- Swahili Coast
Coordinates:
-9.633997 x 39.778998

Notes

Abstract:
This item comprises a long article of 85 pages written by Frederick Johnson, Secretary of the Inter-territorial Language (Swahili) Committee, in 1958, regarding non-Bantu loan words in Swahili. The article is divided into 10 chapters headed as follow: - Introduction - Words of apparently Persian origin - Words of apparently Indian origin - Words of apparently Portuguese origin - Words of apparently Turkish origin - Words of apparently French origin - Words of English origin - Compound words from various sources - Changes in consonants which have taken place in transition - Notes on various interesting words The explanations given by Johnson are often wrong assumptions, especially those in relation to Swahili words of Arabic and Persian origins. He even wrongly states, at page 21, that Swahili could easily be perceived as a “bastard or pidgin Arabic”. These were common assumptions in the 1920s-1930s, at the peak of the colonial period. Therefore, the information contained in this MS should carefully assessed. Most words even if they could “look” Arabic or Persian words are actually fully Swahili. The present article has drawn from Johnson’s ‘A standard Swahili-English dictionary’, as well as from the work of the East African Language Committee. ( en )
General Note:
Biographical information: Frederick Johnson was a linguist who specialised on the Swahili language. He wrote the ‘Standard Swahili-English Dictionary, Oxford Press 1939, and he was Secretary of the Inter-territorial Language (Swahili) Committee.
General Note:
Date of Composition: 1958 AD (1378 A.H.)
General Note:
Extent: 85 leaves
General Note:
Incipit: A rough survey of the vocabulary of the Swahili language, not counting grammatically derived forms of verbs,
General Note:
Includes an index at beginning of the manuscript
General Note:
Archival history: Transferred from SOAS Library Africa Collection, 29 February 1996
General Note:
VIAF (name authority) : Johnson, Frederick,‏ ‎-1937 : URI http://viaf.org/viaf/12625468
General Note:
Africa -- Eastern Africa -- Swahili Coast
General Note:
Transferred from SOAS Library Africa Collection, 29 February 1996
General Note:
Publication information: Johnson, F. 1939. A Standard Swahili-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS University of London
Holding Location:
Archives and Special Collections
Rights Management:
This item is likely protected by copyright. Its status has yet to be assessed.
Resource Identifier:
MS 380630 ( SOAS manuscript number )
MS 380630a ( SOAS manuscript number )