The language spoken by the inhabitants of Barawa, known as Chimini, has long been a subject of debate in linguistic studies. Some western linguistic scholars, such as Möhlig (1995) and Nurse and Hinnebusch (1993), have classified it as a dialect of Swahili. However, extensive linguistic and socio-historical evidence suggests that Chimini is a distinct language in its own right, rather than a mere variation or dialect of Swahili. This distinction is based on its unique