[kictanet] The Sheng Question

Mon Feb 27 20:12:55 EAT 2012

Thanks Rigia for the clarification

On 27 February 2012 20:06, Warigia Bowman <warigia at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
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>>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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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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>>>
>>>
>>> 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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