Department of Linguisticshttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1042024-03-29T09:36:34Z2024-03-29T09:36:34ZMultidisciplinary Explorations of Corohysteria Caused by the COVID-2019 PandemicIsatu Ramatu Bangura, Ishmael I Munene, Jafred Muyaka, Joseph Lansana Kormoh, Omosefe Oyekanmi, Cecy Edijala Balogun, Harrison Adewale Idowu, Gregory Obinna Ugbo, Henry Chigozie Duru, Chinwe Beatrice Ezeoke, Rosemary Oyinlola Popoola, Simon Gisege Omare, Pamela Oloo, Yakub Adams, Alie Kunda, Hadizat Audu Salihu, Osman Kabba, Henrietta Eshalomi, Emmanuel Vincent Nelson Kallon, JP Afamefuna Ifedi, Feyisitan Ijimakinwa, Rachael M Rudolph, Collence T Chisita, Nyarai P Chibanda, Cecilia T Olugbara, Moeketsi Letseka, John Idriss Lahaihttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/60542024-03-21T13:09:15Z2022-04-21T00:00:00ZMultidisciplinary Explorations of Corohysteria Caused by the COVID-2019 Pandemic
Isatu Ramatu Bangura, Ishmael I Munene, Jafred Muyaka, Joseph Lansana Kormoh, Omosefe Oyekanmi, Cecy Edijala Balogun, Harrison Adewale Idowu, Gregory Obinna Ugbo, Henry Chigozie Duru, Chinwe Beatrice Ezeoke, Rosemary Oyinlola Popoola, Simon Gisege Omare, Pamela Oloo, Yakub Adams, Alie Kunda, Hadizat Audu Salihu, Osman Kabba, Henrietta Eshalomi, Emmanuel Vincent Nelson Kallon, JP Afamefuna Ifedi, Feyisitan Ijimakinwa, Rachael M Rudolph, Collence T Chisita, Nyarai P Chibanda, Cecilia T Olugbara, Moeketsi Letseka, John Idriss Lahai
This multidisciplinary volume includes an international roster of contributors who explore how mass hysteria has emerged among people across the globe as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributors provide international perspectives on the effects of this “corohysteria” in areas such as education, healthcare, religion, psychology, mathematics, economics, media, racism, politics, etc. They argue the hysteria, angst, fear, unrest, and difficulties associated with the pandemic are exploited to foster political and social agendas and have led to the undermining of national and global responses to the virus.
The aticle can be accessed in full via:https://books.google.co.ke/url?client=ca-google-print&format=googleprint&num=0&id=XpRyEAAAQBAJ&q=http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/9781666912203&usg=AOvVaw1k-LHO-txqfPSgAZqKfZeY&source=gbs_buy_r
2022-04-21T00:00:00ZPhonemic Representation and Transcription for Speech to Text Applications for Under-resourced Indigenous African Languages: The Case of KiswahiliAwino, EbbieWanzare, LilianMuchemi, LawrenceWanjawa, BarackOmbui, EdwardIndede, FlorenceMcOnyango, OwenOkal, Benardhttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/60442024-03-16T09:53:21Z2022-10-29T00:00:00ZPhonemic Representation and Transcription for Speech to Text Applications for Under-resourced Indigenous African Languages: The Case of Kiswahili
Awino, Ebbie; Wanzare, Lilian; Muchemi, Lawrence; Wanjawa, Barack; Ombui, Edward; Indede, Florence; McOnyango, Owen; Okal, Benard
Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underresourced languages that need to construct corpora nearly from scratch and lack sufficient training
data. It has emerged that several African indigenous languages, including Kiswahili, are technologically
under-resourced. ASR systems are crucial, particularly for the hearing-impaired persons who can
benefit from having transcripts in their native languages. However, the absence of transcribed speech
datasets has complicated efforts to develop ASR models for these indigenous languages. This paper
explores the transcription process and the development of a Kiswahili speech corpus, which includes
both read-out texts and spontaneous speech data from native Kiswahili speakers. The study also
discusses the vowels and consonants in Kiswahili and provides an updated Kiswahili phoneme
dictionary for the ASR model that was created using the CMU Sphinx speech recognition toolbox, an
open-source speech recognition toolkit. The ASR model was trained using an extended phonetic set
that yielded a WER and SER of 18.87% and 49.5%, respectively, an improved performance than
previous similar research for under-resourced languages.
2022-10-29T00:00:00ZPoliteness in nonverbal communication: a commentary on non-verbal communication in a linguistics classroom context in a selected Kenyan universityABAYA, RuthONGARORA, DavidMAGONYA, Lilianhttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/58092023-10-05T15:35:38Z2023-07-05T00:00:00ZPoliteness in nonverbal communication: a commentary on non-verbal communication in a linguistics classroom context in a selected Kenyan university
ABAYA, Ruth; ONGARORA, David; MAGONYA, Lilian
The aim of this article was to explain the effects of politeness as entailed in nonverbal language use in the instructional process. Non-verbal communication skills also known as silent language, include all behaviours performed in the presence of others or perceived either consciously or unconsciously. Nonverbal communication entails; facial expressions, body movements, posture, gestures, eye contact, touch, dressing, space, voice and paying attention to inconsistencies. All these are synchronized to reinforce verbal messages, clarify meaning and create a sense of the speaker’s presence and purpose. Thus, instructors in a classroom setting determine whether a message sent has been received majorly through immediate nonverbal feedback. This paper tries to substantiate the pivotal role enhanced by body language and the impression both the teacher and the student draw from using nonverbal language and the politeness issues that are accrued to such usage. The study adopted the qualitative method and used observation and the data collection procedures were observation and focus group discussions. The findings indicated that instructors/ lecturers use politeness through diverse nonverbal cues during their linguistics lessons in order to convey the relevant message to students. This enables the students to grasp the major concepts being learned and at times the use of nonverbal consciously or unconsciously posed a threat to both the negative and positive faces of lecturers and students.
http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v6i2.452
2023-07-05T00:00:00ZPoliteness Strategies in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC):ABAYA, RuthMAGONYA, LilianONGARORA, Davidhttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/58082023-10-05T15:24:57Z2023-08-13T00:00:00ZPoliteness Strategies in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC):
ABAYA, Ruth; MAGONYA, Lilian; ONGARORA, David
This paper examines the politeness theory in the light of Austin & Searle’s speech act theory as reflected in CMC between
students and their lecturers or supervisors. Thus politeness aspects were analyzed as enacted in the five categories such as:
Assertives, commisives, directives, expressives, and declaratives. The paper also examined politeness in other language aspects
that are usually present in any form of communication, such as: Address phrases, meeting requests, request for reply, and
adjunct phrases. The objective of this article was to shed light on the politeness strategies employed by the lecturers and
students in their e-communication through Whatsapp and SMS (short messages or text messages) platforms. Fifty
communications were downloaded from the lecturers’ phones through their permission and the students’, which were used as
data for this study. Five lecturers and seven postgraduate students made the population of this study. The findings indicated
that students seem to be comfortable using this mode of communication, and it is important to understand how students and
lecturers make choices and how these choices affect the perception of the cultural appropriateness of CMCs. The results also
revealed that elements of politeness greatly decrease in the follow-up messages, that is, messages that require some kind of
response. From the study, lecturers adhered to formal language use as compared to the students in their communication.
http://www.al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/ijllt
2023-08-13T00:00:00ZPseudo-Reduplication in Lukisa DialectOyoko Amos Maina, Atieno Jackline Okelo, Ogoti David Ongarorahttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/56662023-04-19T18:35:12Z2022-01-01T00:00:00ZPseudo-Reduplication in Lukisa Dialect
Oyoko Amos Maina, Atieno Jackline Okelo, Ogoti David Ongarora
: Reduplication is a grammatical aspect found in a wide range of African
languages and it is sometimes interchangeably used with repetition. Reduplication is
both a morphological and a phonological process of forming a compound word by
repeating all or part of the word. Morphological reduplication involves semantic
change through another word formation process while phonological reduplication is
where the copying pics the closest phonological input restricted to cases of
phonological necessity. Lukisa, a Luhya dialect is expected to exhibit a range of
patterns in reduplication which varies from a single segment being copied to an
entire phrase. Although linguistic forms of reduplication have been explored at
lexical and functional levels, there is need to validate morphological doubling
involving the creation of new stem type reduplication as a limitless linguistic
resource, a central meaning making strategy and a naturally integrated facility in
language. Therefore, the objective of this study is to establish how pseudo
reduplication manifests in Lukisa reduplication. Inkelas and Zoll (2005)
Morphological Doubling Theory was adopted for this study where morphology calls
twice for a constituent of a given semantic description with possible phonological
modification of either or both constituents. MDT is a native identity theory in the
sense that the surface phonological identity between the two copies occurs as a side
effect of semantic identity.
DOI: 10.36349/easjhcs.2022.v04i03.002
2022-01-01T00:00:00ZForm of Idioms which are Susceptible to Misinterpretation by the Fans of Witimbule Programme in Radio Mambo FMChenenje SL, Ongarora DO, Okelo JAhttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/56652023-04-19T18:26:32Z2023-03-03T00:00:00ZForm of Idioms which are Susceptible to Misinterpretation by the Fans of Witimbule Programme in Radio Mambo FM
Chenenje SL, Ongarora DO, Okelo JA
Idioms are notoriously applicable in Witimbule Programme of Radio Mambo FM broadcast among the fans from the Luhya speaking communities to make their language native-like, for face-saving and regulation of human behavior. However, it has been found that some idioms are susceptible to misinterpretation during interlocution. The study employs relevance theory by Wilson & Sperber (2002) which explains that human mind follows the path of least effort strategy to process information and the moment it becomes complex, there is a high possibility of misinterpretation. The study adopted descriptive research design because it is within qualitative research paradigm. The sample population selected was 66 informants based on purposive sampling technique and the idioms selected were 69 by listening to Witimbule programme. It was found that the form of idioms which is susceptible to misinterpretation was proverbial followed by hyperbolic. This is because they demand extra effort to process and they are cultural specific.
https://indianapublications.com/journal/IJAL
2023-03-03T00:00:00ZPhonemic Representation and Transcription for Speech to Text Applications for Under-resourced Indigenous African Languages: The Case of KiswahiliAwino Ebbie, Wanzare Lilian, Muchemi Lawrence , Wanjawa Barack, Ombui Edward, Indede Florence , McOnyango Owen, Okal Benard.https://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/56642023-04-19T18:15:34Z2022-10-29T00:00:00ZPhonemic Representation and Transcription for Speech to Text Applications for Under-resourced Indigenous African Languages: The Case of Kiswahili
Awino Ebbie, Wanzare Lilian, Muchemi Lawrence , Wanjawa Barack, Ombui Edward, Indede Florence , McOnyango Owen, Okal Benard.
Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underresourced languages that need to construct corpora nearly from scratch and lack sufficient training
data. It has emerged that several African indigenous languages, including Kiswahili, are technologically
under-resourced. ASR systems are crucial, particularly for the hearing-impaired persons who can
benefit from having transcripts in their native languages. However, the absence of transcribed speech
datasets has complicated efforts to develop ASR models for these indigenous languages. This paper
explores the transcription process and the development of a Kiswahili speech corpus, which includes
both read-out texts and spontaneous speech data from native Kiswahili speakers. The study also
discusses the vowels and consonants in Kiswahili and provides an updated Kiswahili phoneme
dictionary for the ASR model that was created using the CMU Sphinx speech recognition toolbox, an
open-source speech recognition toolkit. The ASR model was trained using an extended phonetic set
that yielded a WER and SER of 18.87% and 49.5%, respectively, an improved performance than
previous similar research for under-resourced languages.
2022-10-29T00:00:00ZCoordinate Ellipsis in EkeGusii: An OverviewOmari, Robert Otieno, Evans Gesura Mecha, David Ogoti Ongarorahttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/54442022-10-25T14:00:40Z2019-01-01T00:00:00ZCoordinate Ellipsis in EkeGusii: An Overview
Omari, Robert Otieno, Evans Gesura Mecha, David Ogoti Ongarora
This paper gives the distributional characteristics of coordinate elliptical
constructions in EkeGusii. The syntax of the constructions is given
using a Phase theoretic approach, one of the current theoretical
constructs within the Minimalist Program. The Phase sliding theory is
then tested for its efficacy to handle some cases of coordinate ellipsis.
2019-01-01T00:00:00ZEkegusii Subject and Object Markers: Affixes or Clitics?Mayaka, James Mboga, Emily Ayieta Ondondo, David Ogoti Ongarorahttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/54432022-10-25T13:41:42Z2019-01-01T00:00:00ZEkegusii Subject and Object Markers: Affixes or Clitics?
Mayaka, James Mboga, Emily Ayieta Ondondo, David Ogoti Ongarora
Bantu languages are known for their agglutinative nature and complex verbal morphology. A single verbal complex has several affixes including the subject markers (SMs) and object markers (OMs). The precise status of the SMs and OMs in Bantu remains unresolved. These markers have been analysed as agreement markers in some languages while in others, they are analysed as incorporated pronominals and in other languages as clitics. The objective of this paper is to determine whether these markers should be analysed as agreement markers, incorporated pronominals or clitics in EkeGusii. Findings reveal that the SM is an agreement marker when the overt lexical subject Determiner Phrase (DP) co-occurs with the SM and an incorporated pronoun in null subject constructions. Accordingly, the paper posits that the SM is both an agreeement marker and an incorporated pronominal in EkeGusii. The OM is an incorporated pronominal because the doubling of the OM and the corresponding lexical DP is not licensed in EkeGusii. In analysing the status of SMs and OMs, the morphological and syntactic evidence provided shows that these markers are more of affixes than clitics in this language.
2019-01-01T00:00:00ZA Pragmatic Analysis of Impoliteness Forms and Strategies in Ekegusii Arbitration Discourse, KenyaOngarora David, DENNIS ONGARORA, G Damaris Nyakoehttps://repository.maseno.ac.ke/handle/123456789/54422022-10-25T13:28:53Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZA Pragmatic Analysis of Impoliteness Forms and Strategies in Ekegusii Arbitration Discourse, Kenya
Ongarora David, DENNIS ONGARORA, G Damaris Nyakoe
Politeness is a pragmatic concept that assumes mutually co-orperative behavior considerateness for others and polished
behaviour in verbal interactions. Politeness guards against harming the hearer and speaker’s self-esteem (face) during
conversation. However, some speakers may intentionally attack the target’s face by being impolite. The purpose of this
study was to analyze the linguistic impoliteness forms and strategies employed in EkeGusii arbitration discourse. The
study adopted an analytical research design and was guided by The Theory of Impoliteness by Jonathan Culpeper.
Naturally occurring data was collected through tape recording of actual arbitration conversations, semi-structured
interviews and the researcher’s native speaker intuitions. The study population constituted the utterances from
participants of the arbitration sessions held. The sample population constituted the actual impolite words and
utterances spoken during arbitration conversations. The study was carried out in Bonchari and south Mugirango
Constituencies in Kisii County in Kenya since speakers in the two constituencies belong to the two dialects of EkeGusii;
Ekerogoro and Ekemaate dialects
With permission from Rongo University, NACOSTI and the county Government, data collection was done through tape
recording of the actual arbitration discourse, oral interviews after the arbitration sessions were conducted and through
non-participant observation. Data analysis was done in line with Culpeper’s Theory of Impoliteness.
The findings of this study revealed that most arbitrators attacked the face of those whose cases they arbitrated over. The
face attacks made those in conflict dissatisfied with the resolutions reached by the arbitrators often leading to
discontentment among those who were not favoured by the verdicts reached. The findings of this study may contribute to
the study of impoliteness in Eke Gusii as one of the languages of the world hence enriching research on etiquette and
communicative competence. Findings of this study, if availed to arbitrators, may enlighten and even render them better
users of language in arbitration.
2020-01-01T00:00:00Z