Table of Contents
What are the 3 main languages spoken in Kenya?
Official Languages Of Kenya
- Swahili. Swahili is one of the major languages used in Kenya.
- English. English is the other language which is recognized by law as the official language in Kenya.
- Kikuyu. Kikuyu is one of the major regional languages in the country.
- Luhya. Luhya is another major regional language spoken in Kenya.
How many languages are native to Kenya?
Kenya is a multilingual country with over 42 different indigenous languages. In addition, foreign languages are used by minorities in major towns and in some learning institutions. The most dominant foreign language is English which is an official language alongside Kiswahili.
How many dialects are there in Swahili?
15
There are about 15 main Swahili dialects, as well as several pidgin forms in use.
Is Arabic spoken in Kenya?
Arabic, Hindustani, Punjabi and a variety of other languages including English (as a first language) are also found in Kenya and are mostly spoken by more or less recent immigrants.
Is Swahili a dying language?
When you move across the East African region, you will be shocked by the way the language is slowly dying. In Tanzania where Swahili is still comparatively strong—there are signs that the youth are more inclined to speak English.
What is the difference between Kiswahili and Swahili?
While “Swahili” can refer to the people, the culture, and the language, it is the commonly accepted way of referring to the language when speaking (or writing) English. When speaking the language, the language is called Kiswahili. The prefix “ki” refers to a language with any language.
Is Yoruba a dying language?
Although a language only dies when nobody speaks it any more, Yorùbá is yet to die even though people are still speaking it. But the threat of extinction is still solidly there.
Is Swahili similar to Arabic?
Swahili is definitely an African language. It’s not a Middle Eastern language, nor a Semitic language like Hebrew. The structure of Swahili is Bantu, and the lion’s share of the words are of Bantu origin….Arabic/Islamic greetings in Swahili.
| English phrase | Swahili | Arabic + pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Please | tafadhali | إتفضل (itfaDDal) |
Is Hindi a language in Kenya?
(Arabic actually had a major influence on the Swahili language because of contact through trade, starting from about 1500 CE onward; many of the Swahili-speaking people were historically Muslim.) There are roughly 6,000 people who speak Hindi within the country’s borders as well.
What are the two official languages in Kenya?
The two official languages in Kenya are English and Swahili. They are both second languages to most Kenyans who speak them and function as a kind of Lingua Francas in the country. The English language in Kenya came to the country when it became a British protectorate in 1885 (and later, in 1920, a colony).
What is Kenyans English?
Kenyan English is a local dialect of the English language spoken by several communities and individuals in Kenya, and among some Kenyan expatriates in other countries.
Is Swahili a second language in Kenya?
The Bantu Swahili language and English, the latter being inherited from colonial rule (see British Kenya), are widely spoken as lingua franca. They serve as the two official working languages. Including second-language speakers, there are more speakers of Swahili than English in Kenya.
When was the English language introduced in Kenya?
The English language was introduced to Kenya along with the United Kingdom ‘s colonisation of Kenya in 1895, when the East Africa Protectorate was set up before becoming a colony in 1920. Swahili had been established as a trade language in most parts of the Swahili Coast at the time of colonization, and it was also used in education.