'G[ilmour] has a good command of the source material; her style is lucid and readable; and she deftly weaves linguistic and sociopolitical threads together, from the critical perspective of postcolonial studies.' - Paul T. Roberge, Historiographia Linguistica 'Gilmour knows how languages work and she has provided an excellent foundation for the study of their history.' - Patrick Harries, Journal of Southern African Studies