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Kenyan English
Rank: Elder Joined: 3/18/2011 Posts: 12,069 Location: Kianjokoma
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Quote:In Kenyan English, a large number of speakers tend to omit articles in words that would otherwise need them. For example, when ordering at a fast food restaurant, a person may say "give me burger" or "I want burger" instead of "give me a burger" or "I want a burger". Similarly, the article "the" in Kenyan English is often used in cases that would otherwise be deemed inappropriate, especially with uncountable nouns. A good example would be adding the article "the" to the uncountable noun "mud" (for example, I stepped in the mud on my way home.)  Quote:A very large number of Kenyan English speakers often use "My names are…" when introducing themselves instead of "My name is…". For example, a person named John Omondi would introduce himself by saying "My names are John Omondi" instead of "My name is John Omondi". Again, this is especially prevalent in the rural areas and among the lower and lower-middle classes, but also depends on the ethnic origin of the speaker.  Quote:As mentioned before, there is a tendency to avoid the use of the relative pronoun "whose" in Kenyan English, where the use of the word would usually be replaced with "that". For example:
The man whose car I bought went to Mombasa last week. → The man that I bought a car from went to Mombasa last week.
The woman whose purse was stolen went to the police. → The woman that got/had her purse stolen went to the police.
wikipedia
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/18/2011 Posts: 12,069 Location: Kianjokoma
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Quote:Kenyan English often borrows vocabulary from local languages which would otherwise be difficult to translate to English, such as "ugali", "sukuma wiki" (collard greens) and "matatu". The wide use of Sheng in Kenya has also affected the vocabulary of Kenyan English speakers. White people in Kenya are often referred to as "mzungus" or "wazungus" (the word "mzungu" is Swahili for "white person"; its plural form is "wazungu"). Other borrowed terms include "pole pole" (Swahili for "slowly"; as a result some people also say "slowly slowly"), "Harambee", "nyama choma" (barbecued meat) and "nini" (used when one forgets the name of something; equivalent to the word "thingy", which is itself also widely used).[5][6] nini, nani, si, halafu, kedo
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Rank: Chief Joined: 5/9/2007 Posts: 13,095
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"Sasa unataka sisi tufanye nini Jameni, What do you want us to do, eeh, eeh,"
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/18/2008 Posts: 3,434 Location: Kerugoya
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/18/2011 Posts: 12,069 Location: Kianjokoma
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washiku wrote:"Sasa unataka sisi tufanye nini Jameni, What do you want us to do, eeh, eeh," Si you just endelea semaing words kama kawa. Go slow slow
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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when growing up - i always felt kenyans spoke "neutral" english... sijui nani alitudangangaya!! we think in swahili and do a quick translation. sasa unaenda wapi? - now...you are going where? mwambie akuje - tell him to come nilisikia dunia ikitingika, wewe uliskia? - i heard the ground shake, did you hear it? not all of us suffer from this but a number do! our pronunciation is also "ours"... we don't pronounce the "r" at the end of a word CaR, (sounds Kaa) War (sounds Wo-oo), Work (sounds like wak), some people cannot differentiate "test" and "taste"; Herd and Heard; "hurt", "heart", "hut" and "hat"! All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/2/2009 Posts: 26,328 Location: Masada
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Lolest! wrote:washiku wrote:"Sasa unataka sisi tufanye nini Jameni, What do you want us to do, eeh, eeh," Si you just endelea semaing words kama kawa. Go slow slow Anaa thingy you forgot is "me I do bla bla bla..."  Portfolio: Sold
You know you've made it when you get a parking space for your yatcht.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 7/23/2008 Posts: 3,017
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'me I like'....'me i think'.... "The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline." James Collins
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/1/2009 Posts: 2,436
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Me I went and kutanaad with my grils, then we endaad westi, kunywad as they pikad food, had a great time, kunywad a bit more, malizad and endad home and lalad
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Rank: Elder Joined: 7/22/2008 Posts: 2,703
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Rank: Chief Joined: 5/9/2007 Posts: 13,095
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While at it, given we are in an election year, should we say: Voted for Uhuru or Voted Uhuru?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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 All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Elder Joined: 7/11/2012 Posts: 5,222
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masukuma wrote:when growing up - i always felt kenyans spoke "neutral" english... sijui nani alitudangangaya!! we think in swahili and do a quick translation.
sasa unaenda wapi? - now...you are going where?
mwambie akuje - tell him to come
nilisikia dunia ikitingika, wewe uliskia? - i heard the ground shake, did you hear it?
not all of us suffer from this but a number do!
our pronunciation is also "ours"... we don't pronounce the "r" at the end of a word
CaR, (sounds Kaa) War (sounds Wo-oo), Work (sounds like wak), some people cannot differentiate "test" and "taste"; Herd and Heard; "hurt", "heart", "hut" and "hat"! Too much wak! Bora one elewas what the other is semaing, ama?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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Mukiri wrote:masukuma wrote:when growing up - i always felt kenyans spoke "neutral" english... sijui nani alitudangangaya!! we think in swahili and do a quick translation.
sasa unaenda wapi? - now...you are going where?
mwambie akuje - tell him to come
nilisikia dunia ikitingika, wewe uliskia? - i heard the ground shake, did you hear it?
not all of us suffer from this but a number do!
our pronunciation is also "ours"... we don't pronounce the "r" at the end of a word
CaR, (sounds Kaa) War (sounds Wo-oo), Work (sounds like wak), some people cannot differentiate "test" and "taste"; Herd and Heard; "hurt", "heart", "hut" and "hat"! Too much wak! Bora one elewas what the other is semaing, ama? it waks ova hia! just hia! All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Elder Joined: 12/7/2012 Posts: 11,909
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masukuma wrote:Mukiri wrote:masukuma wrote:when growing up - i always felt kenyans spoke "neutral" english... sijui nani alitudangangaya!! we think in swahili and do a quick translation.
sasa unaenda wapi? - now...you are going where?
mwambie akuje - tell him to come
nilisikia dunia ikitingika, wewe uliskia? - i heard the ground shake, did you hear it?
not all of us suffer from this but a number do!
our pronunciation is also "ours"... we don't pronounce the "r" at the end of a word
CaR, (sounds Kaa) War (sounds Wo-oo), Work (sounds like wak), some people cannot differentiate "test" and "taste"; Herd and Heard; "hurt", "heart", "hut" and "hat"! Too much wak! Bora one elewas what the other is semaing, ama? it waks ova hia! just hia! English is a foreign language, why the hullabaloo? Use subtitles then or when necessary!!! In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins - cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later - H Geneen
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Rank: Elder Joined: 10/4/2006 Posts: 13,821 Location: Nairobi
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Angelica _ann wrote:masukuma wrote:Mukiri wrote:masukuma wrote:when growing up - i always felt kenyans spoke "neutral" english... sijui nani alitudangangaya!! we think in swahili and do a quick translation.
sasa unaenda wapi? - now...you are going where?
mwambie akuje - tell him to come
nilisikia dunia ikitingika, wewe uliskia? - i heard the ground shake, did you hear it?
not all of us suffer from this but a number do!
our pronunciation is also "ours"... we don't pronounce the "r" at the end of a word
CaR, (sounds Kaa) War (sounds Wo-oo), Work (sounds like wak), some people cannot differentiate "test" and "taste"; Herd and Heard; "hurt", "heart", "hut" and "hat"! Too much wak! Bora one elewas what the other is semaing, ama? it waks ova hia! just hia! English is a foreign language, why the hullabaloo? Use subtitles then or when necessary!!! the point of language is communication - if you don't communicate... it kinda beats the point... you are no different from this dude All Mushrooms are edible! Some Mushroom are only edible ONCE!
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Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
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So how does Kenyan English compare to English (England?) English? I want to correct their grammar since the English is wrong in this announcement of the birth today of a royal baby. The headline should read: The Duchess of Cambridge has delivered a son. I need to teach the Queen of England some English. 
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Rank: Elder Joined: 3/18/2011 Posts: 12,069 Location: Kianjokoma
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hardwood wrote:So how does Kenyan English compare to English (England?) English? I want to correct their grammar since the English is wrong in this announcement of the birth today of a royal baby. The headline should read: The Duchess of Cambridge has delivered a son. I need to teach the Queen of England some English. Yaani the Brits don't use Kgs as a unit? Where did we get it from?
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Rank: Member Joined: 5/17/2008 Posts: 488
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hardwood wrote:So how does Kenyan English compare to English (England?) English? I want to correct their grammar since the English is wrong in this announcement of the birth today of a royal baby. The headline should read: The Duchess of Cambridge has delivered a son. I need to teach the Queen of England some English. Not quite! The wording is correct but rather archaic which is in line with the Royal way of doing things.
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Rank: Elder Joined: 11/15/2011 Posts: 4,518
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washiku wrote:"Sasa unataka sisi tufanye nini Jameni, What do you want us to do, eeh, eeh," LOL. They doesn't.. famous with kyuks. "The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
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