Capturing the lexical richness of Swahili poetry
Capturing the lexical richness of Swahili poetry

Author(s): Thomas J. Hinnebusch
Subject(s): Cultural history, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Swahili language; Swahili poetry; Swahili lexis; anthology of Swahili poetry; bibliography of Swahili poetic works; online Swahili/English prosodic lexis; Swahili dictionary; African poetry
Summary/Abstract: This paper is essentially a report on a web-based project that began over 20 years ago to document the vocabulary used mainly in the Swahili canon of classical Swahili poetry in the form of a glossary illustrated by textual citations from the poetry. It is a digital project, and part of the results have already been published in a WordPress site supported by HumTech, a technological support unit at the University of California, Los Angeles, California (UCLA). As the project evolved, it has expanded to include pedagogical and research tools to assist researchers and learners of advanced genres of Swahili literature in learning about and studying Swahili poetry, especially the poetry written in the so-called classical period. While the main thrust is still the documentation of lexis used in poetry and the construction of a comprehensive glossary, supported by citations from Swahili prosodic literature, other elements have been added: a bibliography of prosodic-focused literature, a section with information about specific poems and their authors, and a provision that allows the uploading of video and other relevant documentation. The project can be viewed online here: http://swahilipoetry.humnet.ucla.edu/.

• Details
• Contents