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Papers by Kithaka Wa Mberia

Style in Political Reporting" In C. Okigbo(ed). Reporting Politics and Public Affairs.. African Council for communication Education, Nairobi

Adaptation Strategies in Rabai Loanwords

Asian Journal of African Studies (AJAS), 2019

International Journal of Linguistics and Communication, 2015

Kiswahili is one of the most studied and documented African languages. Whereas we must commend th... more Kiswahili is one of the most studied and documented African languages. Whereas we must commend those who have authored books and papers on Kiswahili linguistics using either English or Kiswahili as the medium, it is important to point out that some of the works have misleading claims on the language. Such claims tend to, at best, confuse students of Kiswahili linguistics and, at worst, reverse gains already achieved in the study of the language. In this paper, I look at misrepresentations in the works on Kiswahili phonology. I show that some of the claims on the production of Kiswahili sounds are incorrect from a phonetic point of view. I also show that a number of rules formulated for Kiswahili phonological processes are incorrect and, therefore, untenable. Such rules pertain to consonant weakening, palatalisation, liquid hardening, "vowel coalescence" and glide formation. I also show that rules that are convincingly part of Kiswahili phonology are omitted in most if not in all works in the language. I conclude the paper by making the claim that thorough grounding in articulatory phonetics and a good grasp of phonological theory are prequisites in delivering a credible phonological analysis of Kiswahili and, indeed, of any other language.

International Journal of Linguistics and Communication, 2014

________________________________________________________________________ Africa, like many other ... more ________________________________________________________________________ Africa, like many other parts of the world, is faced with language endangerment. According to United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO), "language is in danger when its speakers cease to use it, or use it in an increasingly reduced number of communicative domains, and cease to pass it on from one generation to the next. That is, there are no new speakers, either adults or children". A number of languages in Africa are faced with a situation similar to the one described above. Hence, they can be said to be endangered. Indeed, some of them are already dead. Languages such as Bongomek, originally spoken in present-day Western Kenya are no longer spoken. Other languages such as El Molo, Okiek, Watwa, Hansa are spoken by very few people. They are, therefore, endangered. Yet, there is a third category of languages which previous have been endangered but whose fortunes have been reversed through certain actions some of which were not geared towards language revitalization. In this paper, I discuss language survival and language death in Africa within the broader theme of language endangerment. I base my discussion on information on African languages. I describe factors that have led to the death of the already extinct languages as well as those that are responsible for the endangerment of the languages facing an uncertain future. Finally, I discuss measures that have resulted in the reversal of the fortunes of some of the endangered languages.

Dahl's law in Kitharaka

Hekima, 2003

Nordic Journal of African Studies, 2002

The paper discusses three processes that make nasal consonants and especially /n/ the most dynami... more The paper discusses three processes that make nasal consonants and especially /n/ the most dynamic area of Kitharaka (a Bantu language spoken in Kenya) phonology. Whereas the language has four underlying nasal segments, it has eleven consonants at the phonetic level.

Indigenous languages, performing arts and the HIV/AIDS pandemic

Hekima, 2009

Kitharaka segmental morphophonology with special reference to the noun and the verb

This paper advances the argument that using mother tongues as media of instruction in the lower l... more This paper advances the argument that using mother tongues as media of instruction in the lower levels of formal learning in Kenya is the best option there is for the children‟s education. The use of mother tongues as the media of instruction has been a vexing issue in Kenya. Besides the indigenous languages or mother tongues, the country also has English, which was inherited from the colonial past. This ex-colonial language (English) is associated with the professions, white-collar jobs, upward mobility, power and material prosperity. On the other hand, mother tongues are seen to signify pre-modernity and lack of sophistication. Kiswahili, a mother tongue for some Kenyans and also Kenya‟s national and official language (alongside English), is placed in-between English and the other mother tongues in a three-tier language prestige hierarchy. Since English has the highest prestige among the languages spoken in the country, many parents want their children to learn the language well. ...

The phonology of borrowed words in Kitharaka

One consequence of language contact is borrowing. Kitharaka, a Bantu language spoken in the Easte... more One consequence of language contact is borrowing. Kitharaka, a Bantu language spoken in the Eastern Province of Kenya, has had such contact with a number of languages including Kiswahili and English. As a result, several Kiswahili and English words have been borrowed into the language. Borrowed words undergo adjustments at the various linguistic levels in the process of being accommodated in the borrowing language. Although such word adjustments can sometimes be effected at the semantic and syntactic levels, they usually occur at the phonological and morphological levels. This paper examines the nature of phonological adjustments of Kiswahili and English words that have entered Kitharaka.

Al-Inkishafi: A Nineteenth Century Swahili Poem

In Pursuit of Freedom and Dignity Through Creative Writing. A Personal Account

My areas in creative writing are poetry and drama. To date, I have published four anthologies of ... more My areas in creative writing are poetry and drama. To date, I have published four anthologies of poetry and three plays. The plays are Natala (1997), Kifo Kisimani (2001) and Maua Kwenye Jua la Asubuhi (2004). The four anthologies of poetry are Mchezo wa Karata (1997), Bara Jingine (2002), Redio na Mwezi (2005) and Msimu wa Tisa (2007). A fifth book of poetry, whose title has not been yet established, is expected to be published.

Kiswahili and other indigenous Kenyan languages in the performing arts

Nairobi Journal of Literature, 2003