Swahili Military Terminology: A Case of an Evolving Non-Institutionalized Language Standard

Kiswahili, like all languages, is dynamic. It evolves to accommodate economic, scientific, technological and social changes. Such changes are evident in Kiswahili military terms. The changes can be traced back to the 16th century contacts with visitors from Asia and Europe to the East African Coast. The outcomes of these contacts were borrowed military terms which form relics of their impact on Kiswahili vocabulary. Moreover, with the advent of globalization and its attendant Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), Kiswahili has more contact with the outside world via English. Kiswahili has grown from describing rudimentary military strategies, processes and hardware to describing today’s highly sophisticated warfare. While such changes might appear inevitable, most of the military hardware is imported from Western countries. This paper therefore scrutinizes the non-institutionalised advancement of Kiswahili through the years to elaborate new military concepts such as terrorism (ugaidi), bomb (bomu), sniper (mdenguaji), nuclear weapons (silaha za kinyuklia), weapons of mass destruction (silaha za mauaji halaiki) and the linguistic strategies employed in creating such terms. Key Words: Kiswahili, Military Terminology, Globalization, Vocabular

Multilingualism and Language Use Patterns: Students Attitude towards Kiswahili in Garissa Town, Kenya

This study investigated language attitudes of secondary school learners of Somali descent toward Kiswahili and their patterns of language use in various domains in a multilingual context as evidenced in Garissa Town. The target population was secondary school students in public and private schools within Garissa town, Garissa County, Kenya. Field data was collected through questionnaires. A total of 100 respondents were involved in this study. This sample was obtained through simple random sampling technique. This study obtained quantitative data from respondents’ responses to guided questionnaires in order to determine their attitude towards Kiswahili. Data was analysed descriptively and by way of tables. The findings reveal that secondary school students within Garissa town have a positive attitude toward Kiswahili. Somali language is mainly spoken at home. English is mainly spoken at school while Kiswahili is used for intercultural and interethnic communication. Keywords: Patterns of Language Use, Language Attitudes, Multilingualism, Kiswahil

Tackling Women's Vulnerabilities through Integrating a Gender Perspective into Disaster Risk Reduction in the Built Environment

The majority of human and direct economic losses from natural hazards occur as a result of damage to the built environment due to the vital role that the built environment performs in serving human endeavours. One of the key reasons for people in developing countries to be more vulnerable to natural disasters than their wealthier counterparts is the limited capacities in their construction industries. Among the people in developing countries, women are evidently even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Due to higher disaster vulnerability of women, recognising the different roles, capacities, vulnerabilities and needs of women, and considering them in disaster risk reduction in the built environment is significant to reduce women’s disaster vulnerabilities. Gender mainstreaming as a way of bringing a gender perspective into disaster risk reduction can be applied to recognise the varying needs and capacities of women, and integrate them into disaster risk reduction in the built environment. The paper in this context aims to demonstrate how gender mainstreaming helps to bring a women’s perspective into disaster risk reduction in the built environment. It identifies two main steps which involve in the process, identification of women’s DRR knowledge and needs, and integration of the identified DRR knowledge and needs into DRR in the built environment. The paper provides an account of the process that the study established to incorporate a gender perspective into disaster risk reduction in the built environment based on a case study conducted in Sri Lanka. It further discusses how the social, economic, political and environmental context influences the process of gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction in the built environmen

Taswira ya Utandawazi katika Riwaya Mpya ya Kiswahili: Mfano wa Riwaya ya Dunia Yao

Nyenzo kuu za kuenezea utandawazi ni lugha, fasihi yake, vyombo vya habari, muziki na tafsiri. Tunapozungumzia utandawazi tunazungumzia maisha yetu ya kila siku na lugha tunayoitumia katika elimu, mawasiliano na mazungumzo. Kwa upande mwingine, utandawazi ni mfumo wa kimataifa unaorahisisha mawasiliano na mahusiano katika nyanja za kiuchumi, kibiashara, na kisiasa uliojikita kwenye maendeleo ya teknolojia ya habari. Kwa hivyo lugha ya Kiswahili pamoja na fasihi yake ni nyenzo muhimu ya kuenezea utandawazi. Makala hii inahoji kuwa uchumi, biashara na siasa ni asasi muhimu ambazo huathiri maendeleo ya jamii. Taathira za asasi hizi hujitokeza katika lugha inayotumiwa kila siku katika elimu, mawasiliano, mazungumzo na fasihi. Matumizi haya ya lugha kimaandishi au kimazungumzo hudhihirika katika muktadha maalum wa utamaduni na mazingira ya jamii husika. Jamii imekubali mabadiliko ya sayansi na teknolojia na kuuruhusu uhusiano baina ya wanajamii uwe umeelekezwa kwenye fikra za maendeleo haya. Kwa hiyo, uhusiano wa fasihi na utamaduni wa jamii umekuzwa chini ya misingi ya maendeleo ya sayansi na teknolojia ambayo yamemtoa mwanajamii nje ya mipaka ya fikra finyu za utamaduni wake tu hadi ule wa kimataifa. Lugha inayotumiwa katika kazi fulani ya fasihi huathiriwa na kile kinachotokea katika jamii ya mwandishi. Mwandishi huchota fikra, maudhui, falsafa, itikadi, mtindo, maumbo na miundo lugha kutoka kwenye jamii hiyo hasa inapokuwa katika kasi ya mabadiliko. Lengo la makala hii ni kutathmini hali hii inavyojitokeza katika fasihi ya Kiswahili kwa kutumia mfano wa riwaya ya Dunia Yao ya S.A. Mohamed (2006)