What do kenyans speak

English arrived in Kenya during the later years of the era of colonialism, as European powers carved up the African continent and claimed territories as their own. Kenya was under British rule starting in the late s through the s, when Kenya became a sovereign state.

Besides Swahili, there are other indigenous African languages spoken more regionally that have more speakers than English has! In fact, Ethnologue estimates that there are roughly 70 languages spoken in the country. Some of the many Niger-Congo tongues you can find in Kenya include Gikuyu, with about 6. There are also tonal languages of the Nilo-Saharan language group, including Dholuo, with about 4 million speakers, and Kalenjin, with almost 5 million.

I didn't have any money; but I saw another friend from my place [and] I hit him up until he coughed up something [money]. By examining closely the construction of some of the above words, the level and sophistication of mixing will become apparent. This example is rather dense for even simple Swahili words such as Mzee honorific term used when referring to elders changes to Maze without mixing with English and is used in referring to a youth. Hukinishow is an English verb embedded in Swahili verb construction.

Show is the English verb "show", but in this usage the meaning of "show" has been shifted to "to tell. The verb in this case is "check" and also shifted in meaning to "looking for you," or "checking out for you.

Akacoughmenas to "cough up" some money. In kasomething,-kaappears to be present for alliteration. Over 30 distinct languages and dialect clusters are spoken in Kenya. Each of these groups can further be broken into a number of dialect clusters.

In addition to being Kenya's predominant language group, Bantu languages are spoken throughout central, southern, and western Africa.

Cushitic speakers, except for the Gosha and some hunting groups, are pastoralists who speak Somali or Galla. Cushitic languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken in northern Africa and the Middle East. Luo is the only Nilotic language spoken in Kenya. Nilotic languages, which are also spoken in Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania, are members of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Asians who have immigrated to Kenya speak a variety of Indian languages including Punjabi, Gujarati, and Konkani.

For further reading: Abdulaziz, Mohamed H. East Africa Tanzania and Kenya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The Standard [Nairobi], 30 August , pp. Spyropoulos, Mary. Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford. Whiteley, Wilfred. The city of Mombasa is home to another recognized minority in Kenya — the Arab community. It consists of around 60, people from Yemen and Oman. They also speak Swahili. Last, but not least, there is a relatively large number of Somali immigrants in Kenya.

It should be pointed out that the Somali language is native to Kenya and it was not brought about by the Somali immigrants. Nowadays, there are more than 2 million Somali speakers in Kenya. Its linguistic heritage is truly one of a kind and not many other countries around the world can take pride in having so many different languages spoken on their territory.

The lingua francas of Kenya and the African continent, English, and Swahili are only a drop in the linguistic ocean of Kenya.

In the rural areas, the population is less multilingual, however, with many people speaking only their native languages. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Submit Comment. Mandarin Chinese is the language with most native speakers in the world. Over million people speak Mandarin as The colours we use for design and branding can have a powerful impact on customer perception.

Localizing colors for In todays global world, there are numerous different languages spoken by different parties involved in a deal. Are you Subscribe to get updates on the newest trends and technology in the language industry! Official Languages of Kenya [Updated ]. My lifelong passions are languages and writing.

I speak English, Bulgarian, German and Russian. Culture Language. Source In this blog, we will break down the linguistic heritage of one of the most beautiful and multiethnic countries in Africa — Kenya. English In Kenya became a British colony, but it was a protectorate since Source The official English language mentioned is a relatively standard variety.

Swahili This is the most widely spoken language in the country and is considered to be the lingua franca of Eastern Africa. Source : Interestingly, Swahili originated from Kenya. OH, HEY! We'll send you all kinds of awesome tips, industry news, and interesting language facts. Can we count you in? First Name Email Count me in!