English in Contact with Swahili: Enrichment or Threat?

Abstract

As a result of British colonial rule in Africa and other parts of the world, the English language occupies the position of the world’s most influential and global language and its impact on many languages is remarkable. Swahili has also attained the status of a developed, influential and global African Language. The two languages have had a long standing relationship, and have been described as languages at war or in competition. In this light, this paper sets out to examine the influences that the English language has had and still has on Swahili as the two languages continue to co-exist in Tanzania. The paper demonstrates that the influence of the English language on Swahili is dichotomous: its enriching influence on the language in terms of development and expansion on the one hand and its endangering influence in terms of interference and language shift.