Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Originally published in 1915, this book formed the first English monograph on the Swahili dialects. Detailed information is presented on variations between the many different dialects, together with an appendices section which includes the poem 'The Inkishafi', in both Swahili and an English translation. A significant aspect of the text is that it was written at a time when the newer dialect of Zanzibar was rapidly supplanting numerous older dialects; it can thus be seen as an important document of the Swahili language during a period of change. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Swahili and the development of linguistics.