Dongolese is one of the dialects spoken by the Nubian peoples of the Sudan. Since it is a spoken and not a written language, there are difficulties in the way of collecting adequate material; the position is further complicated by the fact that most Nubians are bilingual and frequently lapse into Arabic when talking to a foreigner. Despite these obstacles, the late C. J. Armbruster was able, as an official of the Sudan Service in Dongola, to amass a great deal of material for investigation. This 1965 book is the result of years of close observation and analysis of the Dongolese conversations in which the author took part, or to which he attended; it is a monumental and authoritative work.