Fridah Kanana Erastus
Biographic Data
| ID | 166554 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fridah Kanana Erastus |
| GIVEN NAMES | Fridah Kanana |
| FAMILY NAME | Erastus |
| SIGNATURE | ERASTUS F K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Kenyatta University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5928-769X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 6 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 6 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Morphosyntactic retention and innovation in Sheng, a youth language or stylect of Kenya
This paper examines the morphosyntax of the East African Swahili-based urban youth language or stylect Sheng. Research on urban youth languages has often focused on these varieties as sites of rapid change and linguistic creativity. However, we show that many of the structural features which appear to make Sheng stand out when compared to (Standard) Swahili are widespread across East African Bantu languages. We examine nominal and verbal domains,…
Going Back to the Roots
The introduction of indigenous languages to Kenyan media, following pre- and post-independence realities, opened the floodgate of communications within the country, with both positive and negative consequences. Indigenous languages found expression in creative works, civic communication, and other areas previously reserved solely for English and Kiswahili. Kanana and Kinyua discuss this trajectory within the context of media liberalization, digit…
Escaping the Margins of Society
In Kenya, among the youth, traditionally there were established language practice differences where youth in the rural areas would speak the domicile mother tongue while the urban youth re-designed their identity by creating and communicating in ‘Sheng’. This is no longer the case as the rural-urban language divide is linguistically flattening due to increased use of digital media, urbanization of rural spaces and globalization. This paper descri…
Global and Local Hybridity in African Youth Language Practices
This article investigates and describes youth language practices in Africa in the era of globalisation. It opens up debate over the impacts of globalisation on youth linguistic identities in Africa. Further, it suggests some aspects of youth participation in linguistic change in Africa and provides some examples of how youth linguistic cultures are practised in everyday interactions. The authors show the intersection of cultures in everyday disco…
Metaphors and their link to generational peer groups and popular culture in African youth languages
This article focuses on Sheng and Tsotsitaal metaphors in order to highlight the centrality of generational peer groups and popular culture in the formation of linguistic and social meaning within these language practices. Drawing on data from a comparative database, the analysis considers aspects such as generational narratives, the transition of a metaphor from a generational peer group context into a conventionalised metaphor, as well as multi…
The growth and use of Sheng in advertisements in selected businesses in Kenya
For a long time Sheng was perceived as an argot language, a variety restricted in its domains of use. It was seen as a language of the urban youth in Nairobi. However, there has been an emerging trend whereby big corporate companies, such as mobile phone companies, insurances, financial institutions (e.g. banks) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Sheng to market their products. Therefore, Sheng is becoming a versatile selling strategy …
The growth and use of Sheng in advertisements in selected businesses in Kenya
For a long time Sheng was perceived as an argot language, a variety restricted in its domains of use. It was seen as a language of the urban youth in Nairobi. However, there has been an emerging trend whereby big corporate companies, such as mobile phone companies, insurances, financial institutions (e.g. banks) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Sheng to market their products. Therefore, Sheng is becoming a versatile selling strategy …
Global and Local Hybridity in African Youth Language Practices
This article investigates and describes youth language practices in Africa in the era of globalisation. It opens up debate over the impacts of globalisation on youth linguistic identities in Africa. Further, it suggests some aspects of youth participation in linguistic change in Africa and provides some examples of how youth linguistic cultures are practised in everyday interactions. The authors show the intersection of cultures in everyday disco…
The growth and use of Sheng in advertisements in selected businesses in Kenya
For a long time Sheng was perceived as an argot language, a variety restricted in its domains of use. It was seen as a language of the urban youth in Nairobi. However, there has been an emerging trend whereby big corporate companies, such as mobile phone companies, insurances, financial institutions (e.g. banks) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Sheng to market their products. Therefore, Sheng is becoming a versatile selling strategy …
Metaphors and their link to generational peer groups and popular culture in African youth languages
This article focuses on Sheng and Tsotsitaal metaphors in order to highlight the centrality of generational peer groups and popular culture in the formation of linguistic and social meaning within these language practices. Drawing on data from a comparative database, the analysis considers aspects such as generational narratives, the transition of a metaphor from a generational peer group context into a conventionalised metaphor, as well as multi…
Global and Local Hybridity in African Youth Language Practices
This article investigates and describes youth language practices in Africa in the era of globalisation. It opens up debate over the impacts of globalisation on youth linguistic identities in Africa. Further, it suggests some aspects of youth participation in linguistic change in Africa and provides some examples of how youth linguistic cultures are practised in everyday interactions. The authors show the intersection of cultures in everyday disco…
Escaping the Margins of Society
In Kenya, among the youth, traditionally there were established language practice differences where youth in the rural areas would speak the domicile mother tongue while the urban youth re-designed their identity by creating and communicating in ‘Sheng’. This is no longer the case as the rural-urban language divide is linguistically flattening due to increased use of digital media, urbanization of rural spaces and globalization. This paper descri…
Going Back to the Roots
The introduction of indigenous languages to Kenyan media, following pre- and post-independence realities, opened the floodgate of communications within the country, with both positive and negative consequences. Indigenous languages found expression in creative works, civic communication, and other areas previously reserved solely for English and Kiswahili. Kanana and Kinyua discuss this trajectory within the context of media liberalization, digit…
Morphosyntactic retention and innovation in Sheng, a youth language or stylect of Kenya
This paper examines the morphosyntax of the East African Swahili-based urban youth language or stylect Sheng. Research on urban youth languages has often focused on these varieties as sites of rapid change and linguistic creativity. However, we show that many of the structural features which appear to make Sheng stand out when compared to (Standard) Swahili are widespread across East African Bantu languages. We examine nominal and verbal domains,…
Multilingual Education and Policy (6 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Linguistics (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Gender Studies (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · Anthropology (2 works) · Context (archaeology (2 works) · Globalization (2 works) · Government (linguistics (2 works)