The History of the Spread of the Swahili Language: From the Language of the East African Coast to the Pan-African Language

Based on the historical and genetic method, the main milestones of the evolution of the Swahili language, starting with its formation in the 8[th] century, are considered and analyzed. The development of the Swahili language is shown as a complex phenomenon that meets historical challenges. The role of the language in both colonial administration and anti-colonial struggle is noted. A separate part of the article presents the study of the place of Swahili in the pan-Africanist vector of African politics, as well as its place in the UN structure, and the difficulties associated with the possibility of granting it the official status of a UN language. The following stages of the development of the Swahili language are considered: the formation of the language in the 7-13[th] centuries, the appearance of Arabic script in the 12-13[th] centuries, the appearance of Portuguese borrowings in the 15-17[th] centuries, the spread of the language to the Great Lakes region in the 18-19[th] centuries, the transition to Latin script in the 1930s. The review concludes with a review of the current situation, noting trends in promoting the language as the official language of the United Nations.