The Use of Presupposition in the Creation of Socio- Political Dominance in Kenyan Parliamentary Debates between 1992 and 2010

Presupposition, a linguistic element can be employed in utterances. When this is done it enhances the comprehension of what is being communicated. This aspect of language that is implicit assumption of an utterance is a strategy that may be used to express a speaker’s socio- political dominance. The truth of what is said is taken for granted and can be manipulated by the speaker to have devastating effects on an individual or the society at large. This study examined presupposition as a strategy of language used by Kenyan members of parliament during debates to create socio- political dominance. The objective was: To analyse the usage of presupposition in language used by parliamentarians to create socio- political dominance in Kenyan parliamentary debates. Various sources of literature have been reviewed in the following areas: ideology, discourse strategies, the power in language, parliamentary proceedings and political dominance. The study used descriptive research design. By using purposive sampling, the data was collected from the Hansard dating from 1992 to 2010.  Data was analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA). This theory looks at how the society is moulded by language that shows various power relationships. The study identified language that created dominance, discussed the presupposition as a strategy used in the utterances. The research found out that presupposition was used by speakers to create dominance in the debates. Keywords: Presupposition, Discourse Strategies, Ideology, Power. Parliamentary Languag

African Linguistics in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Nordic Countries

Non peer reviewe

Language endangerment and language documentation in Africa

Non peer reviewe

Kiswahili kama Nyenzo ya Maendeleo Nchini Kenya

Ukuzaji na uendelezaji wa Kiswahili kama lugha ya taifa nchini Kenya ni lengo la taifa ambalo bado halijapewa kipaumbele kinachostahili. Hata hivyo, tangu Kenya ilipojinyakulia uhuru, matumizi ya lugha hii yamepevuka kinyume na matarajio ya wengi, kiasi kwamba, kwa sasa, mchango wake katika kufanikisha maendeleo ya sehemu za mashambani1 hauwezi kukadiriwa. Nia ya makala haya ni kubainisha mchango huu katika kufanikisha malengo ya kitaifa katika sehemu za mashambani. Ili kufanikisha lengo la makala haya, kielelezo cha nadharia ya mawasiliano kinachotilia maanani hali halisi ya sehemu za mashambani Kenya kitatumika. Lengo kuu ni kuthibitisha jinsi ambavyo mikakati ya kukuza Kiswahili, kama lugha ya kutegemewa katika nyanja zote, haiwezi kuepukika hasa katika kipindi hiki ambacho jitihada za kuunda Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki zimeshika kasi. Mwisho makala yameainisha vikwazo vinavyokikumba Kiswahili katika maeneo haya ya mashambani pamoja na kutoa mapendekezo ya kudhibiti na kuimarisha lugha hii kama nyenzo ya maendeleo sehemu za mashambani na katika taifa la Kenya kwa ujumla

Maadili Ya Utafiti

Maadili ni kaida zinazoelekeza tabia zetu katika mahusiano yetu ya kila siku na wenzetu (taz. Mathooko na wenzake, 2007:15).  Katika utafiti, maadili ni uwajibikaji na uwelekevu kitabia kuhusu haki za wale wote tunaokutana nao katika utafiti, uwelekevu katika nia na malengo ya utafiti na jinsi ya kutumia matokeo kwa uadilifu ili yaweze kuwa na faida kwa jamii.  Suala hili ni la msingi na ndilo limepewa kipaumbele katika makala hii.  Katika kulishughulikia, tutafafanua ni kwa sababu gani maadili yazingatiwe, wanaotakiwa kuzingatia maadili wakati wa utafiti, tutaangalia ni lini tuanze kuzingatia maadili, masuala ya kimaadili yanayoweza kuibuka na athari za utovu wa maadili katika utafiti; hatimaye, mikondo ya kimkabala au ya kinadharia kuhusu utekelezaji wa maadili uwandani itazingatiwa.&#160

Usimulizi katika Utenzi wa Swifa ya Nguvumali

Makala haya yanachunguza usimulizi katika Utenzi wa Swifa ya Nguvumali uliotungwa na Hassan bin Ismail. Yanachunguza jinsi fani ya usimulizi, iliyodaiwa na wahakiki wa ushairi wa Kiswahili kuupa utenzi huu upekee, ilivyotumiwa na mtunzi ili kufanikisha uwasilishaji wa ujumbe husika. Mambo ambayo tumedhamiria kuyachunguza ni yale yanayohusiana na usimulizi kama vile maudhui (yanayosimuliwa), msimulizi, aina za usimulizi, na maajenti wa usimulizi. Makala haya yana sehemu tatu; sehemu ya kwanza ni utangulizi unaofafanua usuli wa mada ya utafiti na madhumuni ya utafiti, sehemu ya pili inaonesha nadharia iliyoongoza utafiti na sehemu ya tatu ni matokeo ya utafiti na hitimisho. Huu ni utafiti wa kifasihi ambao umefanyiwa maktabani kwa kusoma, kuchambua na kuhakiki matini ya utenzi na kuwasilisha matokeo ya uchunguzi

Sensibilité à l'éducation du VIH et aux services du CTV chez les femmes rurales kenyanes : Une enquête basée sur la communauté.

Uptake of VCT and other HIV prevention strategies among rural African women is affected by various socio-cultural and economic factors which need elucidation. Our aim was to establish the responsiveness to HIV education among rural women attending three dispensaries in Kenya. This study was designed to assess gender and psycho-social factors that influence HIV dynamics in rural Kenya. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire based study of 1347 women, conducted in October 2009. Socio-economic status as well as knowledge on methods of HIV transmission was assessed. Testing status, knowledge on existing VCT services and willingness to share HIV information with their children was assessed. Majority of the women have heard about VCT services, but significantly few of them have been tested. Those with secondary school education and above are more knowledgeable on methods of HIV transmission, while those with inadequate education are more likely to cite shaking hands, sharing utensils, mosquito bites and hugging as means of transmission (p=0.001). 90% of educated women are willing to share HIV information with their children, compared to 40% of uneducated women. Marital status is seen to positively influence testing status, but has no significant effect on dissemination of information to children. We conclude that despite the aggressive HIV education and proliferation of VCT services in Kenya, women are not heeding the call to get tested. Education has a positive impact on dissemination of HIV information. Focus needs to shift into increasing acceptability of testing by women in rural KenyaL'intérêt suscité par le CTV et d'autres stratégies de la prévention du VIH chez les femmes africaines rurales est affecté par des facteurs socioculturels et économiques qu'on doit élucider. Nous avons comme objectif d'établir la sensibilité à l'éducation du VIH chez les femmes rurales qui fréquentent trois dispensaires au Congo. Cette étude a été conçue pour évaluer les facteurs des sexes et psycho-sociaux qui influent sur les dynamiques du VIH dans les régions rurales du Kenya. Il s'agit d'une étude transversale, basée sur des questionnaires. Elle étaitt menée en octobre 2009 auprès des 1347 femmes. Nous avons évalué la situation socio-économique aussi bien que la connaissance sur les méthodes de la transmission du VIH. Nous avons évalué la situation par rapport au test, aux services du CTV qui subsistent et la volonté de partager l'information sur le VIH avec leurs enfants. La majorité des femmes ont entendu parler des services du CTV, mais très peu d'entre elles ont subi le test. Celles qui ont reçu une instruction au niveau secondaire ou supérieur étaient mieux renseignées sur les méthodes de transmission du VIH, alors que celles qui étaient moins instruites ont plus la possibilité de citer le serrement de main, le partage des ustensiles, la piqûre de moustique et l'enlacement comme moyens de transmission (p= 0,001). 90% des femmes instruites ont le désir de partager l'information sur le VIH avec leurs enfants, par rapport à 40% des femmes non instruites. L'état civil influe de manière importante sur la situation du test, mais n'a aucun effet important sur la diffusion de l'information aux enfants. Nous concluons que malgré l'éducation agressive sur le VIH et la prolifération des services du CTV au Kenya, les femmes ne répondent pas à l'appel au test. L'éducation a un impact positif sur la diffusion de l'information concernant le VIH. Il faut concentrer l'attention désormais sur l'effet d'augmenter l'acceptation des tests par les femmes au Kenya rura

From Trade to Regional Integration: the Checkered History of Kiswahili in Uganda

Unlike in other Eastern African countries, notably Kenya and Tanzania, Kiswahili did not become an official language or lingua franca in Uganda until very recently. Using both secondary sources and archival material, this chapter aims to explore the reasons behind this (partial) marginalization, analyzing the history of the language in Uganda since it arrived there in the mid-1800s. It explores why, after a period of great popularity, Kiswahili began to be neglected and lost its currency among the Buganda elite. Kiswahili arrived from the east coast with Arab traders and spread thanks in part to the increase in the number of practicing Muslims in the kingdom of Buganda. In the late 1800s, during the so-called religious wars and the consequent marginalization of the Muslim community, Kiswahili suffered the same fate. A few decades later, it became one of Uganda’s main languages thanks to Muslim president Idi Amin Dada. The president’s army was notorious for the violence they used in their dealings with the population, and since Kiswahili was the language of the army, it started being considered as the language of violence – a language used by soldiers (and Muslims). After the end of the Amin regime, Kiswahili fell into decline once again, and it has only been with the new National Resistance Movement language policy and the resurgence of the East African Community in the late 1990s that it has regained a (partially) central role in Ugandan life. The proposal that it be made the official language of the East African Community has fueled the debate on the use of Kiswahili and its role in Ugandan society, and for many it remains a symbol of the country’s turbulent past. This chapter argues that its history and connections with the Muslim community and to an even greater extent, with the army, have sealed the language’s fate, leading to the current tensions and resistance to the East African Community’s choice. Despite being marginalized and not widely spoken, Kiswahili remains a controversial topic and a powerful symbol in Ugandan society