SWAHILI LANGUAGE

[s. 732] : Amoni^ the people inhabiting the parts of East Africa adjoining Zanzibar, where the Arab influence has been very strong, and extending northward to Soma lil and, a mixed language has been developed, called the Swahili or coast language. It belongs to the Bantu family and has a wide range westward from the coast toward Equatorial Africa. At the same time it has adopted a large number of Arabic words and forms because it has served as a means by which Arabs of the coast and negro 714 tribesmen from the interior could understand each other. It is written with Arabic letters, but mi ionaries have succeeded to some degree in introducing the Roman letters for the purpose. Quite a beginning of Christian literature exists in Swahili. 732