Abstract:
Abstract
This study explores Kiswahili's potential as a global language
by examining its use across daily, professional, academic, and
digital contexts, alongside structural and cultural factors
shaping its expansion. Using a quantitative cross-sectional
survey design, the research collected data from 384 respondents
across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and diaspora communities. The analysis is grounded in
Cooper's (1989) language-planning framework and Kaplan and
Baldauf's (1997) ecological perspective, addressing status,
corpus, and acquisition planning. Findings reveal strong daily
usage in Tanzania and Kenya but lower adoption in Uganda,
the DRC, and diaspora communities. Kiswahili flourishes on
social media, yet its broader digital presence is limited by low
content creation and inadequate AI tools. In academia,
respondents recognise its scholarly potential, but English
dominates due to the absence of indexed journals and
institutional incentives. Policy and economic support are largely
perceived as symbolic, and over-standardisation raises concerns
about loss of dialectal diversity. The study argues that while
Kiswahili can become Africa's first truly global language,
structural inequalities across technological, academic, and
policy domains constrain this potential. By providing
quantitative, cross-national evidence, the study offers novel
insights for advancing Kiswahili's regional and global reach.
