It is not unexpected that we can find several Swahili-loanwords in Oromo because Swahili- and Oromo speaking people were neighbours for, at least, several centuries. If we are looking for Swahili-loanwords in Oromo we have, of course, to examine the southern Oromo-dialects first.

The locative suffix -ni: In this article we discuss two hypotheses about the origin of the locative suffix -ni. The better known hypothesis (Raum 1909; Meinhof 1941/42) assumes that the suffix -(i)ni developed out of a class 18 demonstrative, though the details of the assumed phonological changes have never been made clear. The competing hypothesis by Sacleux (1939) suggests that locative nouns with -ni started out as compounds with the noun ini `liver´. We think that this second hypothesis is phonologically more plausible and that it also accounts for the specific link with the meaning of class 18 `inside´. Comparison of the spread of the locative suffix -(i)ni and of the word ini `liver´, together with other historical considerations, point to Kiswahili (or Sabaki) as the most likely origin of this locative suffix.

Kiswahili, one among the Bantu languages, was formerly called Kingozi, the Waswahili (as they were called by the visiting Arabs) were originally known as Wangozi. Although Western researchers have manifested great interest in Swahili language and culture, they refuse to consider the arguments of their Swahili counterparts, they do accept but their own evidence and analysis. As far as the development of vocabulary and terminologies are concerned, this should be the work of Waswahili per se, scholars and lovers of the language. The author argues that the coining of word had always been in connection with (1) the function, (2) the sound, and (3) the structure of the item to be named. He shows that the lexical and structural richness of Kiswahili in fact can lead to meaningful and reasonable coining of any words necessary. He proposes to continue the work started after the 1975-meeting in Dar-es-Salaam, i. e. to compile vocabularies of the different dialects of Kiswahili which could form a pool from which material can be drawn for coining new words. There is need for all experts to organize their forces. Tanzanian experts should stop doing the whole work alone. They should incorporate their Kenyan counterparts as well. But this is not enough. There is a call for a joint Panel or Committee which shall coordinate all efforts of developing Kiswahili.

The Department of Linguistics and African Languages, in which Kiswahili is a central subject, was established in the Faculty of Arts at the University College of Nairobi in 1969. Since then, at least five more departments which are devoted to the teaching and study of the Kiswahili language and literature have been established in various Kenyan universities (see below). Most of these departments run post-graduate programmes leading to MA. and PhD - degrees. As a result, considerable research activity related to both the Kiswahili language and literature has been going on. This is evident from the dissertations that have been written and that continue to be written every year.

Makala haya yamekusudia kujadili hali ya vitabu vya watoto katika Tanzania. Lengo letu ni kutathmini, kwa namna fulani, hali ya ujenzi wa elimu ya msingi katika nchi yetu, matatizo yanayokwamisha kustawi kwa elimu ya msingi na namna ya kuyapatia suluhu. Katika juhudi za kutafuta suluhu, tutaeleza namna Mradi wa Vitabu vya watoto unavyotoa mchango wake mkubwa. Hata hivyo, itafaa tuanze kwa kupitia historia fupi ya vitabu vya watoto katika Tanzania.

Kitabu hiki kinaleta matumaini makubwa ya kuwawezesha wengi ku-soma juu ya lugha yao na kuamsha hamasa ya kujifunza zaidi juu ya lugha hii tukufu na lugha nyingine za kiafrika.

Dhana ya usarufishaji, kama Kamusi ya Isimu na Lugha inavyoeleza, ni ubadilishaji wa neno huru ama mofimu huru yenye maana ya kisemantiki na kuifanya mofimu funge na yenye maana ya kisarufi zaidi. Tunaposema kuhusu usarufishaji, mara nyingi tunamaanisha hasa ubadilishaji wa neno huru liwe mofimu. Miongoni mwa aina zote za maneno, ambazo zinaweza kusarufishwa, zile zinazotumika mara nyingi zaidi ni nomino na vitenzi. Ningetaka kujibu swali juu ya kazi ya kisarufi ya leksimu mwana: baada ya kuzichunguza maana zake za kisarufi inawezekana kutilia mkazo kwamba katika lugha ya Kiswahili tunashuhudia mwanzo wa kuibadilisha nomino huru mwana iwe kiambishi awali cha uundaji wa maneno mapya yanayotaja watu mbalimbali kutokana na kazi, shughuli zao, kuwepo katika vyama n.k. Inawezekana kwamba maneno ambatani yanayoanzia na mwana yanaunda ngeli maalum ya nomino (sawa na ngeli ya 1a/2a ya lugha nyingine za Kibantu).

Sehemu muhimu ya fasihi andishi ya Kiswahili yachukuliwa na fasihi iliyotafsiriwa kutoka lugha za kigeni. Ingawa vitabu vingi vilikuwa vimetafsiriwa na wageni, Waswahili walio maarufu walishugulika vile vile na kazi hiyo ya kufasiri kama wale Shaaban Robert anayehesabika kuwa mwanzilishi wa fasihi ya kisasa ya Kiswahili pamoja na rais wa kwanza wa Tanzania, baba wa taifa Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. Aidha, vitabu vya fasihi ya Kirusi zilianza kutafsiriwa kuanzia miaka ya sabini karne iliyopita. Nia yangu ilikuwa ni kuvuta uangalifu wa watafsiri Waswahili, kuwasaidia waelewe zaidi matini ya Kirusi na kuizingatia kwa makini katika kuendeleza kazi yao ya ufasiri yenye maana kubwa.

Sarufi inafafanuliwa kama kanuni, sheria au taratibu zinazotawala katika viwango vyote vya uchambuzi wa lugha ambavyo ni umbosauti (au fonolojia), umboneno (au mofolojia), miundomaneno (au sintaksia) na umbomaana (au semantiki). Kuhusiana na masuala ya tafsiri, kanuni muhimu sana zinazopaswa kuzingatiwa ni zile za kiwango cha miundomaneno au sentensi. Kanuni katika kiwango cha miundomaneno, kwa jumla, huwa zinahusu uchaguzi wa maneno sahihi katika muktadha wa maelezo na jinsi maneno kama hayo yanavyopangiliwa kuunda vipashio mbalimbali vya sentensi na sentensi zenyewe. Kwa jumla, huwa kuna aina mbili za tafsiri: tafsiri halisi na tafsiri huru. Nasution 1988 hufikiri kwamba aina hizi mbili za tafsiri hukinzana.

Everybody knows the Intemet by now, most of us have had a glimpse into it or use it frequently. Without doubt it offers many possibilities, like sending long documents within a very short time and without any material carrier from one computer to another or to many others. The World Wide Web (WWW) is an important means of finding information on nearly everything, the web sites are often designed attractively and many offer multi-medial information at the same time. Yet, after a time of euphoria about the possibilities people became aware that the web is very vast and one can spend hours and hours looking for something, without finding it. Roger Pfister with his `Internet for Africanists and others interests in Africa` (see the review in this issue), was a first and most useful attempt to help everybody interested in African studies to find information faster.