Swahili Learners' Reference Grammar

Rating:
Summary: Best (Swahili) Grammar Book Ever
Review: Look no further for books on Swahili grammar. I have studied Spanish, French and (obviously) English and have never come across a grammar book so clearly written and structured. This book is vital for those trying to learn the rather complex rules of Swahili morphology. It is broken down into sections on nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. that invite easy access and cross-reference with other texts. It is perhaps most singular for providing juxtapositions of English and Swahili grammars and their similarities/differences. Every subsection (i.e. Tenses-->Present Tense, Negative Present Tense and so on) begins with an exacting yet simple overview of comparative English grammar with which most people (myself included) are not entirely familiar. The subsections then proceed to Swahili analogs while carefully outlining the grammatic differences that one must be careful to keep in mind (such as intransitive verbs in English whose Swahili equivalents are transitive). Each of these lessons is supplemented by a review with an answer key in the back of the book for further enrichment. Everyone in my Swahili class agrees that this is the most lucid grammar book that he/she has ever read. Bahati njema!