{"product_id":"the-story-of-swahili-john-m-mugane-9780896802933","title":"The Story of Swahili","description":"\u003cp\u003eSwahili was once an obscure dialect of an East African Bantu language. Today more than one hundred million people use it: Swahili is to eastern and central Africa what English is to the world. From its embrace in the 1960s by the black freedom movement in the United States to its adoption in 2004 as the African Union's official language, Swahili has become a truly international language. How this came about and why, of all African languages, it happened only to Swahili is the story that John M. Mugane sets out to explore.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe remarkable adaptability of Swahili has allowed Africans and others to tailor the language to their needs, extending its influence far beyond its place of origin. Its symbolic as well as its practical power has evolved from its status as a language of contact among diverse cultures, even as it embodies the history of communities in eastern and central Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean world.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Story of Swahili\u003c\/i\u003e calls for a reevaluation of the widespread assumption that cultural superiority, military conquest, and economic dominance determine a language's prosperity. This sweeping history gives a vibrant, living language its due, highlighting its nimbleness from its beginnings to its place today in the fast-changing world of global communication.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John M. Mugane\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0896802930\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780896802933\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ohio University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/15\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 332\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d","brand":"John M. Mugane","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43988324942079,"sku":"9780896802933","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_f5a4787e-85d8-408b-847e-97c739825217.jpg?v=1683293904","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-story-of-swahili-john-m-mugane-9780896802933","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}