Sheng (linguistics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheng is a Swahili-based patois, originating in Nairobi, Kenya, and influenced by the many languages spoken there. While primarily a language of urban youths, it has spread across social classes to the halls of the Kenyan parliament and geographically to neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda.
Originating in the early 1970s in the Eastlands area of Nairobi (variously described as a "slum," "ghetto," or "suburb"), Sheng is now heard among matatu drivers across the region, and in the popular media. It also evolves rapidly, as words are moved into and out of slang use. It is finding broad use among East African hip hop artists, such as Kalamashaka and Nonini, whose music helps spread the language and contribute to rapid changes or shifts in Sheng vocabulary, but also among university and secondary-school students.
Although the grammar, syntax, and much of the vocabulary are drawn from Swahili, Sheng borrows from English and from the languages of the various ethnic groups in Kenya, including Gĩkũyũ, Luo and Kamba.
Depending on what part of Nairobi you are from, and even what part of Kenya and East Africa you are from, the version of Sheng you will use, and the Sheng words, can vary significantly.
Many have adopted Sheng as a vernacular language, while others (notably primary and secondary school teachers responsible for language instruction) claim that it is undermining standard Swahili. At least one scholar, however, points out that the bulk of Sheng speakers are already bi- or tri-lingual, and so it is not clear why the ability to speak Sheng should undermine proficiency in standard Swahili.[1]
Some examples of popular sheng words are "manzi" which means girl, "beste" which means friend, "muenjoyo" which means having fun, "hare" which means to go out at night and "waka" which means to get drunk.
Additional words:
- ndai/moti/murenga/dinga: car
- munde/chapa/niado/ganji: money
- mbota: watch
- njumu: shoes
- veve/mbachu-Khat
- fegi/mozo: cigarette
- nare: matches
- ubao/maunenge: hunger
- mdosi: boss, rich man
- mboch: house girl (maid)
- mbuenya: overcoat or trench coat.
- mdosi,mbuyu: also means Dad
- Matha: woman
- Fala: idiot
- Karau: Police
- Keja: House
[edit] References
- ^ Githioria, Chege (2002). "Sheng: peer language, Swahili dialect or emerging Creole?" Journal of African Cultural Studies 15 (2), 159-181, (abstract)
dingo;thief kapyenga;small
[edit] External links
- Sheng Dictionary and translator. A site dedicated to the preservation and de-mystifying of the Sheng language!
- Talking Sheng: The role of a hybrid language in the construction of identity and youth culture in Nairobi, Kenya.
- English–Sheng/Sheng–English Lexicon
- ShengDictionary.com.
