Taasisi ya Taaluma za Kiswahili (Institute of Kiswahili Studies), known by its acronym TATAKI, is a research body dedicated to the research of the

Kiswahili language Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...

and literature at the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1 ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

History

The institute was founded as the Interterritorial Language Committee in 1930 under British colonial rule in East Africa tasked with creating a standardized form of the language from 17 dialects. The Kiunguja dialect spoken in Zanzibar was chosen as the base. The committee was also involved in the standardizing spelling as well as coining new words. The committee was reorganized into a purely academic institution as ''Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili'' (''TUKI'') (Institute of Kiswahili Research) in 1964 and integrated into the

in 1970. The standardization functions of the committee were transferred to the

Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa ''Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa'' (National Swahili Council, abbreviated as BAKITA) is a Tanzanian institution responsible with regulating and promoting the Kiswahili language. Background Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two constituents of modern Tanza ...

.Massamba pp 63-64 The institute received its current name in 2009 when it merged with the University of Dar es Salaam's Department of Kiswahili to form a full-fledged school within the university.

Activities

Research activities at the institute is divided into a number of sections - Lexicography, Linguistics, and Literature The Lexicography section of the institute is responsible of creation of dictionaries and terminologies for specialized areas. The first Kiswahili dictionary was compiled here in 1981. Massamba p75 In addition, specialized dictionaries have been compiled in areas such social science, language and linguistics, and science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology).Mugane p284 The Linguistics section conducts research into morphology, phonology, syntax, sociolinguistics and dialectology.Massamba 64 The first book on Swahili morphology was published in 1984. The Literature section conducts research into the oral and written literature in the Kiswahili language. The institute's purely academic role is in contrast to that of the

(BAKITA), which has a more political role in advocating for Kiswahili as a means of national integration in Tanzania. As such, the responsibility for standardizing the language lies with the latter organization.Massamba p65 The institute can propose new vocabulary to respond to emerging needs but only BAKITA can approve usage.

Notes

References

* * Research institutes in Tanzania University of Dar es Salaam {{Swahili-stub