Historical African Languages Database (HALD)

Dictionaries

HALD Phase 1 focuses on 18 historical dictionaries, published between 1857 and 1924.

Eight bilingual dictionaries of Bantu languages spoken in eastern and southern Africa and one non-Bantu language.

Click on citations with links to read more about the dictionaries.

Language Pair	Country / Region	Citation
Mijikenda-English	Kenya	Krapf, Johann Ludwig, and Johannes Rebmann. 1887. A Nika-English Dictionary. Society for promoting Christian knowledge. \| (view PDF)
Yao-English	Mozambique	Maples, Chauncy. 1888. Yao-English Vocabulary. Zanzibar: Universities' Mission Press. \| (view PDF)
Kiswahili-French	East Africa	Sacleux, Charles. 1939 (1888). Dictionnaire Swahili-Francais. Paris: Institut D'Ethnologie. \| (view PDF)
Sotho-English	Southern Africa	Kruger, F. Hermann. 1876. Sesuto-English vocabulary. Mantsue a Sesotho le tlalosetso ea 'ona ka sEnglish. \| (view PDF)
Luganda-English	Uganda	Pilkington, George Lawrence. 1892. Luganda-English and English-Luganda Vocabulary. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. \| (view PDF)
Sukuma-German	Tanzania	Seidel, A. 1894. Das Kisukuma: grammatische Skizze nebst kisukuma-deutschen und deutsch-kisukuma Vokabularium. Berlin: Gergonni.
Kikuyu-English	Kenya	McGregor, A. W. 1904. English-Kikuyu Vocabulary, Compiled for the Use of the C.M.S. Missions in East Africa. London: Soc. for the prom. of Christ. Knowledge. \| (view PDF)
Xhosa-English	South Africa	Kropf, Albert. 1915. A Kafir-English Dictionary. Edited by Robert Godfrey. Second edition. [Stutterheim] South Africa: Lovedale Mission Press.
Maa-English	Kenya	Erhardt, James J., and J. L. Krapf. 1857. Vocabulary of the Enguduk Iloigob, as Spoken by the Masai-Tribes in East-Africa. Ludwigsburg, Würtemberg: Printed by F. Riehm. \| (view PDF)

Four bilingual Kiswahili dictionaries with definitions in English, German, French, and Italian

Kiswahili-English	Kenya	Krapf, Johann Ludwig. 1882. A Dictionary of the Suahili Language: With Introduction Containing an Outline of a Suahili Grammar. Cambridge Library Collection - Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kiswahili-German	Tanzania	St Paul-Illaire, Walter von. 1896. Swahili-Sprachführer. Dar-es-Salaam: W. Richter.
Kiswahili-French	East Africa	Hémery, A. 1901. Vocabulaire français-swahili-tèita.
Italian-Kiswahili	East Africa	Cavicchioni, Antonio C. 1923. Vocabolario italiano-swahili. Bologna: N. Zanichelli.

Five multilingual dictionaries that present data from multiple African Bantu and non-Bantu languages in the same volume.

English-Xhosa and Zulu	South Africa	Davis, William J. 1877. An English and Kaffir Dictionary: Principally of the Xosa-Kaffir, but Including Also Many Words of the Zulu-Kaffir Dialect. London: Printed for the Wesleyan Missionary Society.
English & 48 languages	General	Last, J. T. 1885. Polyglotta Africana Orientalis; or a Comparative Collection of Two Hundred and Fifty Words and Sentences in Forty-Eight Languages and Dialects Spoken South of the Equator and Additional Words in Nineteen Languages. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
English and 4 Kenyan Languages	East Africa	Shaw, Archibald Downes, and John Prediger Farler. 1885. A Pocket Vocabulary of the Ki-Swahili, Ki-Nyika, Ki-Taita, and Ki-Kamba Languages. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
English-Kamba and Kikuyu	Kenya	Hinde, Hildegarde. 1904. Vocabularies of the Kamba and Kikuyu languages of East Africa. Cambridge: The Univ. Pr.
Portuguese-Kiswahili + others	Mozambique	Cabral, A. A. Pereira. 1924. Vocabulario Portugues, Shironga, Shitsua, Guitonga, Shisope, Shisena, Shinhungue, Shishuabo, Kikua, Shi-Yao e Kissuahilo. Lourenco Marques: Impresa Nacional.