Abstract
Urban and youth languages are fast developing in modern urban centres among the youth and amid globalization. A number of researchers have investigated some of these varieties, such as Town Bemba in Zambia, Sheng in Kenya, Camfranglais in Cameroon and Tsotsitaal in South Africa. These varieties are quickly spreading into many areas as languages of communication; for example, they are commonly used on new social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. However, very little research has been done on the use of these urban varieties on social media. Kiessling and Mous (Anthropol Linguist, 46(3), 303–341, 2004) argue that these varieties are being used as a way of formulating a coherent identity and bridging ethnic differences by the youth who are growing up in today’s complex societies intersected by globalization. The chapter aims at analysing the structure, status, and functions of Sheng as used in new media. It also describes how the youth are using this language on social media pages to communicate in an evolving urban space.
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Notes
- 1.
Etymologically, Sheng is derived from Swahili and English and dates back to the 1950s in the Eastlands area of Nairobi County. The variety borrows and modifies forms from other languages, all of which are related either to English or ethnic codes of expressions . According to Githiora (2016), Sheng has lately expanded its domains , a fact that has provoked scholarly enquiry into the role of the code in the current media in the country.
- 2.
The timeline refers to where one shares photos, posts, experiences and so on on Facebook .
- 3.
According to Boyd (2014), an analysis of Sheng accounts for its low status as a form of Swahili considered ‘corrupted’ and unworthy of much attention, although it has seeped into the public domains in Kenya and become a dominant language. Referred to as a bit of fun in words, Sheng has become a platform for successful music , poetry, writing and advertising in both urban and rural Kenya.
- 4.
EN = English, Sh = Sheng.
- 5.
The word is borrowed from the English form ‘boy’ but in this context it means young adult. The correct plural in Kiswahili would be kijana-vijana a class 7/8 noun (but since it belongs to the + human class, all other conjugations adhere to the rules of class 1/2 nouns, which has been recently defined as the a/wa class). It is common for urban Swahili speakers in Kenya, particularly in Nairobi , to generate the plural of this word kijana through double pre-fixation. Thus, it sounds very natural when speakers of urban Swahili say mavijana. I suppose ma.boi is generated just like ma.vijana, thus taking a class 6 plural marker.
- 6.
Abdulaziz and Osinde translate this sentence as ‘Look that girl is very ugly’. It is quite difficult to translate it appropriately because we could not figure out what kustunya means but tinine could probably mean T-9, which were small dogs that were believed to suffer from rabies and terrorized Kenyans and livestock in the 1980s. They were alleged to have come from Tanzania.
- 7.
The standard Swahili diminutive form of this word ki.toto/vi.toto would be ki.jitoto/vi.jitoto. However, the Kenyan variety of Kiswahili lost the (ji) and all diminutives are formed without it in the singular and plural.
- 8.
Mathare is the second largest slum in Nairobi .
- 9.
The translation of the Sheng words and the source is as follows: to chop = to read (note its different forms u-chop = you read; ma-chopa = readers (bookworms); U-chopi = reading as a noun); danda = foolish person/illiterate (borrowed from dunderhead); ma-gabo = garbage(s) (takes a plural prefix ma-, borrowed from English), Wazzeiya = young people.
- 10.
This is borrowed Kiswahili —maka—which means to exclaim/express surprise.
- 11.
Kuchapa nduthee is metaphorically used to mean ‘to ride’; the word kuchapa is borrowed from Kiswahili form ‘to beat’.
- 12.
Kumada is from English ‘to murder’.
- 13.
Haitanido any is an expression used to mean ‘it won’t harm me’ in Sheng.
- 14.
Mtungi is a 20-litre water container.
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Kanana Erastus, F., Kebeya, H. (2018). Functions of Urban and Youth Language in the New Media: The Case of Sheng in Kenya. In: Hurst-Harosh, E., Kanana Erastus, F. (eds) African Youth Languages . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64562-9_2
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