English Language and Linguistics Policies

Question: Discuss about the English Language and Linguistics Policies. Answer: Introduction: The article mainly discusses the situation of language and education policies in the country within the periods of the British colonial times. It also captures the changes in the post-colonial era under the regime of KANU through an established ministry of Education. The articles give instances when the Ministry could occasionally change the education policies in line with the recommended provisions that were fronted by the then commissions of education. The article also gives insight into the hegemonic edge over which Kiswahili as a language enjoyed widespread popularity but failed to gain popularity regarding spoken language in the rural areas of Kenya. The failure of English and Kiswahili to take shape in the entire country is attributed to the fact that mother tongue has made a tall order of the country (Iraki, 2003). The article also pits the country as multicultural diversity, a fact that has significantly been reflected in the linguistic variety of the country. In fact, the article captures the ethnic tribes to be about 42 in number or even more with each having its own unique dialect. Kiswahili is the national language in Kenya while English is regarded as the official language of the country (Benedikter, 2011). The article also captures the historical perspectives of the development of languages in the country, pointing to their contributions to the achievements and milestones the education sector has achieved in the course of the time (Ogechi, 2003). This according to the article, points to the policies being the brainchild of the former colonial masters as they sought to scramble for and partition the African continent in the 19th century. More interestingly, the article holds that at the time, the primary intent of the colonialists was that the English language is used for administrative and political purposes (Ireri-Mbaabu, 1996). In contrast, Kenyans took the holistic approach and embraced the language for their own consumption as this was seen as the only guaranteed ticket to landing the white collar jobs. According to the article, the English language also received a boost when the colonial government sought to promote the use of the same. Besides, the language got support from among the elitist groups in the state who would take charge of the management of the country in 1963 (Albaugh, 2005). About language planning and literacy in Kenya, the article demonstrates that contrary to the popular opinion that gives reasons to the independence for and not against the indigenous languages in so far as languages for communication and those for instructions in the public discourse. The article also captures the ills that the colonial policies had on the present day happenings in the country about the English language (Benedikter, 2011). On matters sociolinguistic state of the country, the article captures the diversity of culture in the Kenyan society as being multicultural. The article gives an insight into different studies that have varying conclusions into their findings of the number of languages in the country. Some scholars are also captured with the view that English has now become part of the many languages spoken in Kenya (Okombo, 2010). The article goes further to profile the dominant languages in Kenya with Kikuyu, Luo and Luhya languages topping the profile. The article also shed some light into these dominant languages and grades each based on the demographics. The article also points to the Kikuyu language being found to be common in areas where businesses are carried out since most businesses are carried out by the members of the Agikuyu community. The Luo community is captured to be the third most populous community in Kenya and as such reflected in the statistics (Nabea, 2009). There is a unique feature that presents itself in the article as the Luhya language is seen as a mix of several different languages based on different sub-groups and are thus only interrelated but not a unit or common language. There is a particular group of people captured by the article with a special and unique language that is only identical and unique to them. These are the youths who invented sheng. The article also sheds some light into the genesis of Sheng and mainly holds that the youth needed to come up with a language that would ensure that the old are completely locked out of their world (Albaugh, 2005). On policies, the article captures the country Kenya as having promulgated a new constitution which provides for various language and culture policies about the vision 2030 projections. According to the article, the second chapter in the constitution of Kenya lays emphasis on the sovereignty of the constitution of the country and states that; the official languages of the country include Kiswahili and English, and that the national language being Kiswahili (Surhone, Tennoe and Henssonow, 2010). With regard to the role of state in ensuring the same, the article depicts the constitution to state that the state shall at all costs, ensure that it promotes and also protects the diverse culture of the Kenyan people, and promote the use of and development of the native languages as well as Braille and all other forms of communication technologies and formats that are accessible to the people with disabilities. The issues or the questions that the article fails to capture is the relevance of the education system in so far as its vision 2030 is concerned. The matter that is worth attention is the rationale of the study that puts the Luhya, Kikuyu, and Dholuo as the only dominant languages. As per the population statistics, the Kalenjins are known to be a largest populous community in Kenya according to its latest census. Which language does the Kalenjin speak and does the same distribution as that of the luhyas reflect on the Kalenjin community? As a matter of conclusion, the article holds that the new constitution came in handy to address the various language concerns in the country through accepting the three language model that was recommended by the UNESCO and the UNDP in a bid to forge unity and cohesion which is tipped to see the country go through various stages to its realization of the vision 2030 projections. References Albaugh, E (2005). Language Policies in African Education. In: The Colonial Image Reversed: Advocates of Multilingual Education in Africa. PhD Dissertation; Duke University. Attorney General, Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review (2010). The proposed constitution of Kenya: 6th May 2010. Nairobi: Government Printer. Benedikter, T (2011). Language policy and linguistic minorities in India: An appraisal on the linguistic rights of minorities in India. Munster: LIT Verlag. Beukes, A. (2004). The first ten years of democracy: Language Policy in South Africa. Johannesburg: RAU University. Iraki, F. K. (2003). Language and cognition: Alienating Democracy in Kenya. The East African Journal of human Right and Democracy 18 (1): 59-71. Ireri-Mbaabu. (1996). Language Policy in East Africa. Nairobi: General Printers. Muaka, L (2009). The dynamics of language use among rural and urban Kenyan youth. Cambridge: Proquest Publishing. Nabea, W (2009). Language Policy in Kenya: Negotiation with Hegemony. In: The Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1. Okombo, O (2010). Kenyas proposed devolution of governance structures: Its implication for Language Policy and Nationhood. Keynote address presented at the International Conference on Multilingualism in Kenyatta University, Nairobi on 22-23 July 2010. Ogechi, N (2003). On Language Rights in Kenya. In: Nordic Journal of African Studies Vol. 12, No. 3. Surhone, Tennoe and Henssonow (2010). Kenyan Sign Language. Saarbrucken: VDM Verlag.