[kictanet] The Sheng Question

Mon Feb 27 20:06:31 EAT 2012

Dear Solomon

Sheng is clearly a dialect, not a language. I did not say that Sheng is an
endangered language. I said I work on kamusi, which works on digitizing
endangered languages. I said Sheng is a creole, or as someone else
mentioned, a pidgin.

Yours, Rigia

On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 10:56 AM, Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau
<solo.mburu at gmail.com>wrote:

> Good people,
>
> AFAIK, sheng is not a language. For a language to fit in that category, it
> takes a long period of time to develop in terms of phonetics etc. But with
> Sheng, today you refer to something, tomorrow, it's not referred so, yet it
> has not changed a bit. Sheng is a mode of communication which is popular in
> one area.
> And Wairigia, how do you categorize sheng as an endangered language, yet
> it does not qualify as one?
>
>
>
> On 27 February 2012 19:39, Warigia Bowman <warigia at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Wapendwa Wenzangu
>>
>> It would be good if we could all speak 1) Kiswahili Sanifu 2) Our local
>> language and 3) some colonial language such as English or French
>>
>> I am on the board of www.kamusi.org. We are interested in digitizing
>> endangered languages.
>>
>> Sheng is a vibrant and growing creole, and should be respected as such.
>> It probably does not need formalizing, as it is living and changing daily,
>> but it may benefit from documentation.
>>
>> Warigia
>>
>>  On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 10:27 AM, Daniel Waweru <daniel.waweru at gmail.com
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>  (1) Sheng is already widely-spoken in urban bits of Kenya, and
>>> knowledge of it is essential effectively to communicate with anyone under
>>> 40.
>>>
>>> (2) There's good research indicating that Sheng is not a creole or a
>>> pidgin, but rather a dialect of Swahili. (Paper by Chege Githiora attached.)
>>>
>>> (3) It is thoroughly mysterious why Kenyans should speak only those
>>> languages that are widely spoken by its trading partners, especially in
>>> light of the fact that those trading partners do not speak only the
>>> language of their trading partners. Chinese, which you seem to have assumed
>>> is a single language, is actually a family of dialects, several of which
>>> are not mutually intelligible. I have not seen any move by the government
>>> of China to restrict their use, or formal study of them, on the ground that
>>> it is time to use only English.
>>>
>>> Daniel Waweru
>>> www.kenyaimagine.com
>>> Art and analysis; debate and opinion.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 27 February 2012 11:18, James Mbugua <jgmbugua at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Sheng will go nowhere and formalization is a waste of time.
>>>>
>>>> The 1billion Chinese and the 1billion Indians and 600million Europeans
>>>> and nearly 800million Africans do not and will not speak it.
>>>>
>>>> English as we all know is the language of business and Vision 2030
>>>> requires us to monumentally grow our export and services sector which
>>>> requires international interaction.
>>>>
>>>> Sheng, like Nigerian and Jamaican pidgin is in safe hands with touts
>>>> and DJs. They will keep the flame alive.
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 2:02 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> > Hi All,
>>>> >
>>>> > I believe that if we are serious about turning sheng into a formal
>>>> language
>>>> > then we need a site like http://www.urbandictionary.com/ if we are to
>>>> > harmonise across the country or region.
>>>> >
>>>> > As I keep repeating, annoyingly, I grew up in eastlands (mimi sio
>>>> mbabi) and
>>>> > one thing I know is that sheng is not homogeneous beyond 100 meters
>>>> of where
>>>> > you are standing.
>>>> >
>>>> > Regards
>>>> >
>>>> > Robert Yawe
>>>> > KAY System Technologies Ltd
>>>> > Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>>>> > P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>>>> > Kenya
>>>> >
>>>> > Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>>> >
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>>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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>>>
>>>
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>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>>
>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Dr. Warigia Bowman
>> Assistant Professor
>> Clinton School of Public Service
>> University of Arkansas
>> 1200 President Clinton Ave.
>> Sturgis Hall
>> Little Rock, AR 72201
>> 501-683-5227
>> wbowman at clintonschool.uasys.edu
>> http://democratizingegypt.blogspot.com
>>
>>
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>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
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>>
>>
>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>
>

-- 
Dr. Warigia Bowman
Assistant Professor
Clinton School of Public Service
University of Arkansas
1200 President Clinton Ave.
Sturgis Hall
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-683-5227
wbowman at clintonschool.uasys.edu
http://democratizingegypt.blogspot.com
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