The emergence of Sheng in Nairobi: a Social-psychological perspective

Abstract

Language contact often results in the emergence of new varieties. In Kenya contact between various indigenous Kenyan languages, Kiswahili and English has resulted in the emergence of Shenq. Sheng, a compound of Swahili and English, is still in early infancy. Its beginnings cannot be traced beyond early sixties in Nairobi. Probably because of this relative newness there are as yet no substantial empirical studies available on this language. There are hardly any published syntactic, morphological or phonological descriptions 1f Sheng; nor has any scholar examined the social psychological aspects associated with it. Sheng is then really a language in the making. We therefore pose such questions as what is the social and linguistic environment in which Sheng is emerging, and with what impact? Who speaks Sheng? What is th-e attitude towards Sheng? What are its prospects? This study has been carried out in Nairobi. The major focus of the study is on the social and psychological aspects of Sheng, but attention has also been paid to the morphosyntaotic aspects as an attempt to understand the nature and working of the language we are investigating. The investigation, therefore, will provide us with a description of Sheng as well as afford us the opportunity to critically examine theories on such phenomena as code mixing/switching, pidgins and creoles and mixed languages. We will in addition examine the Nairobi community's attitude towards Sheng.