A Sketch of the Modern Languages of Africa (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 Excerpt: ...of a portion of the Holy Scriptures, Wakefield is now engaged on further Translations, and intends, now that he has returned to his own Station, to pay particular attention to this Language. I have urged him to complete a Grammar, and undertaken to get it printed: he begged me to supply him with a copy of Krapf's Elements; but only one copy could be found, and that in the Library of the Royal Geographical Society. I was glad to return to this Scholar the same favour which I have received from friends in America, and I had a Manuscript copy made of Krapf's Elements and forwarded it to Wakefield at Ribe, on the borders of South Galla-Land. Beke and D'Abbadie have both written on the origin and the customs of the Galla. It must be remembered, that in the centre of the Galla country are small enclaves, like Harar, of tribes speaking Semitic Languages, and according to Krapf there exist also miserable remnants of Christian populations. Enarea was a Christian Kingdom South of Abyssinia, on the River Ghibe, one of the branches of the River Godjeb. In 1613 a Portuguese Missionary Fernandez got there, and his narrative has been published in Collections of Travels. Since then the Galla have overrun the Country, and trodden out both Kingdom and Language, which was akin to the Gonga. In modern time it has been noticed by travellers, who did not penetrate to it, but D'Abbadie actually reached it in 1845. The tribe of Lango or Kidi, met by Speke, Grant, Felkin, and Emm Bey on the Upper Nile, speaking a Language quite unintelligible to their followers, are reckoned by some as among the Galla tribes, and are so entered provisionally in the Language-map, but nothing is certain. ///. BISHARI. This important Language is one of groat historical interest, if it is indeed the li...