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6 - Sheng and Engsh in Kenya’s Public Spaces and Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2021

By
Maarten Mous  and
Sandra Barasa
Edited by
Rajend Mesthrie ,
Ellen Hurst-Harosh  and
Heather Brookes
Rajend Mesthrie
Affiliation:
University of Cape Town
Ellen Hurst-Harosh
Affiliation:
University of Cape Town
Heather Brookes
Affiliation:
University of Cape Town
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Summary

This chapter will discuss the role of the media in the development of Sheng (showing largely African language syntax with salient English lexis) and Engsh (showing the reverse; i.e. largely the syntax of English and lexis from several African languages) in Kenya. While African urban youth languages may start as anti-languages of the streets, many develop a much wider speech community due to their gradual spread from the street and the informal transport environment into song lyrics and thus the radio, and into comic strips and cartoons and thus the printed press. The use of these two youth language varieties in these media has the additional effect of making them acceptable for a larger part of the society as a style of youth and modernity and rendering this style fit for advertisement and use on television, such as in soap operas. This development is illustrated with Sheng and Engsh examples.

Keywords

ShengEngshurban youthstreet languagenew mediastyle shiftmodernitymatatuKenyan EnglishKiswahili
Type
Chapter
Information
Youth Language Practices and Urban Language Contact in Africa , pp. 141 - 158
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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