An Inter-disciplinary Approach to the Diversity and Dynamics of Swahili Varieties (jrp000240)
Keywords
variety
East Africa
language of wider communication
Bantu microtypology
Practice-based sociolinguistics
diversification
Areas
East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, etc.)
Website
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About the Project
Project term: April, 2018–March, 2021
This project aims to investigate the modern (and historical) varieties of Swahili as one of Africa’s major lingua francae spoken in vast areas of East Africa and to approach the dynamism of its geographicaland historical diversification through an interdisciplinary approach consisting mainly of linguistics and social anthropology. Based on the tradition of linguistic study of Swahili, we will establish a novel research platform of Swahili variation study by integrating currently developed frameworks such as intra-Bantu microparametric typology and practice-based approach to multilingual situations in urban Africa.
Daisuke SHINAGAWA, Project Coordinator (Associate Professor, ILCAA)
“On the origin of 'ndiyo' and 'hapana' in Swahili: A perspective from the Nyoro language”
2. Makoto FURUMOTO (ILCAA Joint Researcher, JSPS overseas research fellow/University of Essex)
“On the emergence process of the person pronominal markers: Suggestion from the shortened forms of the demonstratives in the Makunduchi dialect of Swahili” (tentative)
3. All participants
General discussions about project outcomes and future perspectives
Jointly sponsored by ILCAA Joint Research Project “An Inter-disciplinary approach to the diversity and dynamics of Swahili varieties”,Core Project “Linguistic Dynamics Science 3 (LingDy3)”
Kumiko MIYAZAKI (ILCAA Joint Researcher, State University of Zanzibar) and Keiko TAKEMURA (ILCAA Joint Researcher, Osaka University)
“Towards a new approach to ‘Viswahili’ in Zanzibar”