Language change and social networks among Somali refugee teenagers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to look at the linguistic social integration of Somali refugee teenagers in Eastleigh, a Kenyan suburb, within Nairobi, the capital city. The study gives a descriptive account of the social networks along with domain analysis in order to discuss language change by the teenagers having moved from a monolingual Somali to multilingual Kenya. Most studies in Kenya on refugees are centered on the welfare and livelihoods of refugees excluding language. The thesis delineates the social networks of the Somali teenage refugees in Kenya to establish how they are coping linguistically. The Somalis were chosen because they are the majority amongst all the refugees. The main research question is: Do the social networks the teenagers make affect their linguistic choices in Kenya and result in language change? The research is based on interviews, questionnaires and observations of thirty (30) research respondents who were selected using snow ball sampling. Social Network theory (Milroy, 1980), Domain analysis (Fishman, 1980) and ideas from the Postructuralists (Woolard, 1985; Heller, 1991 and Norton, 2000) are used to understand and analyze data in relation to: language change, social identity, ethnicity, language and gender and power. The analysis of the data indicates that the teenagers have dense and multiplex social networks in Eastleigh. The social networks are Kenyan and Somalian based. Such networks have enabled them to retain the Somali language to a large extent and have also acquired other languages which are used in Kenya: English, Kiswahili and in few cases Sheng. Having established that Somali community is patriarchal; such a set-up has not hindered the different genders to use their language in a similar way. The teenagers have devised ways of using language in order to ‘fit in’ the Kenyan linguistic social set. Such strategies include code-switching and multiplicity of identities. The linguistic market, (Bourdieu, 1990) empowers various languages in different domains. It is also clear that the vulnerability of the teenagers as refugees has curtailed their participation in the mainstream teenage subcultures in Kenya. Based on the findings, the research contributes to the deeper understanding of the refugee linguistic orientations in Kenya. This could inform language policy makers and the government of Kenya on the predicament of the refugees. It could also make known the language problems the teenagers have while in school. Finally, the research is hoped to make an original contribution to the general sociolinguistic theory

Shrewd Calculation of Membership Benefits: Negotiation of Identity in Eastleigh by Somali Refugee Teenagers.

The effect of mass displacement has been creation of completely new types of human beings: people who root themselves in ideas rather than places and people who have been obliged to define themselves in various ways because of their predicament. This paper reflects the various identities the Somali refugee teenagers portray in Eastleigh a suburb in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. The study uses interviews to uncover the language usage by the teenagers in various domains. Language is seen as signifying identity one wields at a particular point in time. Data is analysed using thematic content analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings show that the teenagers have multiple identities as survival strategies in Eastleigh. Key words: Domain, Identity, Refugee, Power, Languag

The Morpho-syntactic Differences among Kalenjin Dialects: An Analysis of Kipsigis, Tugen and Pokot

Kalenjin is a language spoken primarily in Kenya. A majority of the Kalenjin speakers inhabit the Rift Valley region in Kenya. Scholars who have done research in Kalenjin somehow agree that Kalenjin dialects are not uniform in as far as the linguistic structure and intelligibility is concerned.  This study aims at establishing the extent to which Pokot morpho-syntactic structure is different from those of other Kalenjin dialects by comparing it with Tugen. The study randomly selected 90 subjects. The data was collected using language tests which were answered orally and tape-recorded for further analysis. The results were analyzed, interpreted and described by using cognate percentages, spread cognate percentages and the inspection method. The findings of this study make an important addition to the information on Kalenjin. It is also useful for those interested in Kalenjin translations. Key words: Kalenjin, Morphosyntax, structure, lexicostatistics, morpheme, cognat

An Analysis of the Grammatical Features and Lexical Features that the Hearing-Impaired Learners Use in Writing to Achieve Cohesion

Competence in both spoken and written English is very important for all learners regardless of their hearing ability. Previous studies reveal that hearingimpaired learners face several challenges in their written English. These challenges affect their communication, which is likely to affect their education and career aspirations. The thrust of this paper, therefore, was to identify the grammatical features and lexical features that the hearing-impaired learners use in writing to achieve cohesion. The study confined its investigation to the nature of cohesion in the hearing-impaired learners’ English written texts. The data for the study was collected from the written texts of Form Three hearing impaired students sampled from three secondary schools located in Nyeri County, Nakuru County, and Machakos County in Kenya. The written texts were picked from written assignments from different subjects as well as from one free composition. The study was guided by Halliday and Hasan’s theory of Cohesion to identify, describe and categorize cohesive devices in the texts. In the final analysis, this paper found out that all the cohesive devices posited by Halliday and Hasan were present, but at varying frequency. Reference had the highest frequency of occurrence and ellipsis the least. The hearing-impaired learners had challenges in writing cohesively

An Analysis of the Grammatical Features and Lexical Features that the Hearing-Impaired Learners Use in Writing to Achieve Cohesion

Competence in both spoken and written English is very important for all learners regardless of their hearing ability. Previous studies reveal that hearing-impaired learners face several challenges in their written English. These challenges affect their communication, which is likely to affect their education and career aspirations. The thrust of this paper, therefore, was to identify the grammatical features and lexical features that the hearing-impaired learners use in writing to achieve cohesion. The study confined its investigation to the nature of cohesion in the hearing-impaired learners’ English written texts. The data for the study was collected from the written texts of Form Three hearing impaired students sampled from three secondary schools located in Nyeri County, Nakuru County, and Machakos County in Kenya. The written texts were picked from written assignments from different subjects as well as from one free composition. The study was guided by Halliday and Hasan’s theory of Cohesion to identify, describe and categorize cohesive devices in the texts. In the final analysis, this paper found out that all the cohesive devices posited by Halliday and Hasan were present, but at varying frequency. Reference had the highest frequency of occurrence and ellipsis the least. The hearing-impaired learners had challenges in writing cohesively

An Analysis of the Grammatical Features and Lexical Features that the Hearing-Impaired Learners Use in Writing to Achieve Cohesion

Competence in both spoken and written English is very important for all learners regardless of their hearing ability. Previous studies reveal that hearingimpaired learners face several challenges in their written English. These challenges affect their communication, which is likely to affect their education and career aspirations. The thrust of this paper, therefore, was to identify the grammatical features and lexical features that the hearing-impaired learners use in writing to achieve cohesion. The study confined its investigation to the nature of cohesion in the hearing-impaired learners’ English written texts. The data for the study was collected from the written texts of Form Three hearing impaired students sampled from three secondary schools located in Nyeri County, Nakuru County, and Machakos County in Kenya. The written texts were picked from written assignments from different subjects as well as from one free composition. The study was guided by Halliday and Hasan’s theory of Cohesion to identify, describe and categorize cohesive devices in the texts. In the final analysis, this paper found out that all the cohesive devices posited by Halliday and Hasan were present, but at varying frequency. Reference had the highest frequency of occurrence and ellipsis the least. The hearing-impaired learners had challenges in writing cohesively