The History of the Spread of the Swahili Language: From the Language of the East African Coast to the Pan-African Language
https://doi.org/10.31249/kgt/2025.04.08
Abstract
Based on the historical and genetic method, the main milestones of the evolution of the Swahili language, starting with its formation in the 8[th] century, are considered and analyzed. The development of the Swahili language is shown as a complex phenomenon that meets historical challenges. The role of the language in both colonial administration and anti-colonial struggle is noted. A separate part of the article presents the study of the place of Swahili in the pan-Africanist vector of African politics, as well as its place in the UN structure, and the difficulties associated with the possibility of granting it the official status of a UN language. The following stages of the development of the Swahili language are considered: the formation of the language in the 7-13[th] centuries, the appearance of Arabic script in the 12-13[th] centuries, the appearance of Portuguese borrowings in the 15-17[th] centuries, the spread of the language to the Great Lakes region in the 18-19[th] centuries, the transition to Latin script in the 1930s. The review concludes with a review of the current situation, noting trends in promoting the language as the official language of the United Nations.
About the Author
I. S. Kol’tsov
Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ivan S. Kol’tsov, Senior Laboratory Assistant, Center for Global South Research
Nakhimovsky Avenue, 51/21, Moscow, 117418
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Review
For citations:
Kol’tsov I.S. The History of the Spread of the Swahili Language: From the Language of the East African Coast to the Pan-African Language. Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law. 2025;18(4):141-152. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31249/kgt/2025.04.08
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