The Social Media Neologisms: A Case Study of Facebook Users in Kenya.

This study sought to investigate the Kenyan generated neologisms as used in social media. This study was informed by the fact that human language is a dynamic and an ever-changing phenomenon only stable in performing its communicative function. The researcher conducted a Facebook survey as a representation of other social networking channels. The researcher purposely sampled 50 neologisms of Kenyan origin on Facebook and thereafter, using a descriptive qualitative data analysis approach, made a description of one of the commonest sites of social networking in Kenya, people from various walks of life engage on a litany of matters concerning their lives, be it political, socio-economic or even personal. Facebook was chosen explicitly for its wider outreach among Kenyans in comparison to other social networking channels. 50 neologisms belonging to Kenyan origin were purposively sampled on Facebook aftermath; a descriptive method of data analysis approach was used, to make a description of the word-formation processes, which are involved in their generation. A vast number of neologisms on Facebook belonging to Kenyan origin could be identified and documented by the study, most of them laced with a local flavour. Furthermore, the study analysed the word-formation processes that were involved in their development. Some of the neologisms with Kenyan origin documented in this study are; uhunye, saitan, isorait amongst others while some of the most common word formation processes employed include; loan translation, error, compounding and others. This study advocates for research on how words and expressions from indigenous Kenyan languages are being adopted in multicultural discourse among the diverse members of the Kenyan speech community through social media and general cross-cultural interactions.

Sexism in Language: A Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective

Language plays a crucial role in perpetuating sexism and gender inequality. The research draws on the Critical Discourse Analysis, an Interdisciplinary Approach to the study of discourse that views language as a social practice, to explore the existence and nature of sexist language in Kamba Popular Songs. Specifically, this study anchored itself on Grice’s Second Theory of Conversational Implicature (1991). The research had two objectives: to investigate sexist implicatures in Kamba Popular Songs and describe sexist inferences in the lyrics. The study used the descriptive research design and purposively sampled eight songs from the ten most popular Kamba bands with the youths. Besides, the research used content analysis to identify the possible sexist expressions classified into implicatures and inferences. Further, the researcher categorized the two linguistic items into negative and positive sexism, and the number of each type was counted up and described. The study concludes that popular Kamba songs project a sexist perception of women. This research recommends eliminating sexist language in both written and spoken discourse because it contains a lexicon and grammatical structure that trivializes and perpetrates biases against women.

Context and Accidental Humour: The Import of the Sociolinguistic Situation in Linguistic Errors on Public Signage in Kenya

This paper analyses the distinctive context surrounding the erroneous signage in certain public notices in Kenya. More specifically, it seeks to determine how contextual cues go a long way in assisting the reader to comprehend the distinctive genre of humour under consideration in this paper. Ostensibly, the linguistic landscape of Kenya is ridden in plenteous of signage containing numerous translational errors, which eventually yield accidental humour. In order to achieve the above requires the application of the General Verbal Theory of Humour by Attardo and Raskin (1991) to context where language use is put into consideration. The data was collected from the field by photographing erroneous signage where ten public notices were aptly analysed for their specious nature, which eventually resulted into accidental humour. Specifically, their unique context was further scrutinised to identify the precise components within which the author operated and an attempt to recover the lost interpretation in order to understand the resultant humour. Data presentation involved use of tables to summarise and indicate relationship of crucial contextual components. The paper sheds light on the importance of context to understand humour, enriches translational linguistics and boosts pedagogy in relation to language performance. The study concluded that specific category of humour in the selected signage in this paper requires a complete understanding of the author’s situational background. The study recommended that the types of linguistic incongruities as well as how they are resolved to produce accidental humour would go a long way in understanding this category of humour.

Utilization of Proverbial Wisdom in Enhancing Harmony in Sports: A Case of Devil on the Cross

Proverbs are the sayings of the wise that affect the society in many various ways. In scholarship, proverbs constitute a significant field of study not only in the discipline of Literature but in other areas as well. This is possible due to the flexibility, contextuality and the multiplicity of their meanings. In African cultural settings, and particularly in Kenya and more specifically among Agĩkũyũ community, proverbs function as the infallible avenues for ferrying messages successfully to their assigned targets. Further, as proverbs enjoy the tenure of flexibility and contextuality they are able to bend to the discretion of the user rendering unequaled service to the community. This paper seeks to explore and investigate the utilization of proverbial wisdom in the sports arena. Sports is one of the developing sectors and constitute a significant portion of social harmony in the community, the nation as well as in international relations. The proverbs are drawn from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross. This postcolonial novel has an imaginary geographical setting: Ilmorog. The study takes a qualitative research design based on the interpretivist paradigm. The interpretation is informed by poststructuralist theory. Data from the text are broken into quotations, analogies, metaphors and images to assist in the analysis. The findings of the study will contribute in the comprehension and appreciation of the role played by writers in highlighting the issues that affect society. Consequently, society will be motivated towards a positive multidisciplinary reading culture. The results of the study will also aid researchers who may want to carry out similar or related scholarship in Literature or any other related disciplines.

Problematising Hateful Ethno-Political Rhetoric in Facebook and Twitter during 2017 General Elections in Kenya

The purpose of this study is to examine online hate discourse; with a focus on the construction of online ethno-political rhetoric as a form of hate speech during Kenya's 2017 general election. The study employed a qualitative case study design which entailed an empirical investigation of a particular phenomenon using multiple evidence. Purposive sampling allowed the researcher to observe, collect and analyse only the specific materials that had the characteristics relevant to the objective of this study. Working within Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) framework, we analyse a purposively selected sample of sixteen posts from FB (ten) and Twitter (six) derived from the initial sample of 360 posts collected through online observation of Facebook groups and hashtags trending in Kenya between July and November 2017. ‘The findings point at the shifting hate speech battle fields where ethno-political extremism in form of ‘Us against Them’ discourse finds easy expression online through dehumanizing epithets and metaphors that de-personalize and de-characterize the target, bringing to salience their perceived negative attributes in order to justify prejudice against them as a tool of political mobilization. These insights are relevant in understanding hate speech in multi-ethnic cultural contexts in society generally and specifically in Kenya. The study recommends that the government of Kenya and other key stakeholders should develop a media literacy policy on the moral responsibility in embracing netiquette and responsible netizenship in online interactions.

(Re)examination of the Aspects of African Cultural Production through Different Epochs

This paper sought to examine how African Culture has undergone the processes of production, development and change through four different epochs, namely: pre-colonial period, colonial period, independent period and post-independent period. The study applies the post-colonial theory, which broadly deals with the study of the effects of colonialism on cultures and societies, to interrogate the (un)changing perceptions of Africans across different epochs. Post-colonial theory is often said to commence with the work of Edward Said, Stuart Hall and Homi K. Bhabha. The approach looks at literature and society from two broad angles: how the writer, artist, cultural worker, and his or her context imitates a colonial past, and how they survive and carve out a new way of creating and understanding the world. It is anxious with both how European nations conquered and controlled “Third world” cultures and how these groups have since responded to and resisted those encroachments. The study is qualitative, employing discourse data obtained from a close reading of the text. The paper contributes knowledge on how various factors such as slavery, colonialism; migration, technology and globalization have contributed to cultural production, development and change.

Rethinking Globalisation through Afropolitanism in Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah

The quest of this paper is to illuminate and celebrate Adichie’s Americanah as a text that opens our eyes to the challenges of African Diaspora in America. The need to offer different latitude of identity is aptly captured in Taya Zelase’s 2011 essay titled Afropolitanism, which has become a daring resurrection of debates that surrounds the ambiguity of contemporary African Diaspora. The need to analyse and interpret Afropolitanism as an emerging diaspora theory, which speaks to Africans diaspora was best located in the works of Adichie Chimamanda titled Americanah (2013). Indubitably, Adichie rebukes the dilemma of African Diaspora while at the same breath celebrates Africa as the ultimate space of identity and belonging. Locating itself within Afropolitanism theory as an emerging theory is a robust yardstick of interpreting textual response to the ambiguities of contemporary African Diaspora, the paper uses a close reading of Americanah to identify diasporic experiences, and how the characters negotiate them. By opening an honest conversation around the questions of belonging and identity, this study is instrumental in shedding light on the opaque sense of identity and the need for examining how modern African Diaspora negotiates the dehumanising aspect of Racism.

Artistry and Post-Colonial Issues in Wole Soyinka’s The Interpreters

This paper sets out to examine how Wole Soyinka uses art in his first novel, The Interpreters to reflect the post-colonial issues that affect individuals in the newly independent state of Nigeria. It begins by illuminating Wole Soyinka as a unique artist who experiments with all genres of literature. The paper then discusses Artistry in The Interpreters but limiting the study to plot, characterisation and his style of narration. This paper draws interest in the society as portrayed in the text. We see a society which is experiencing a gradual drifting from the traditional ways of life to the modern, though in a confused manner because their world view of the contemporary world is suppressed by the systems put by the post-colonial government. The interpreters are an epitome of the broader community, which is experiencing changes in their country. The paper brings out an argument that with the creation of post-colonial society come different personalities with different responses to the situation.

A Linguistic Analysis of Translation Errors on Selected Public Notices in Kenya

This paper purposes to analyse translation errors in selected Kenyan public notices. Specifically, it examines how translation faults possess unique linguistic resources. There is an extensive existence of this genre countrywide albeit without proper academic scrutiny to further interrogate fundamental linguistic concepts therein. It involves the application of the Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) which is unique to the analysis of this genre. Specifically, this research involves collecting data from the social media of the relevant public notices in Kenya. Generally, twelve signage were analysed. The sampling procedure was done purposively to include the diversity of Kenya. To qualify, the data collected had to reflect translation blunders. Then, the data was analysed for linguistic resources. The data was presented using a table showing the relationship between the components sought. Consequently, the study enriched translational linguistics, evaluated textual analysis and critiqued the linguistic concepts of performance and competence. Additionally, it provided useful insights into the cognitive mechanisms used during humour production and understanding.

The Effect of Teachers’ Use of Reinforcement on Learners’ Performance in English Language

The intention of the study was to establish the effect of teachers’ use of reinforcement on learners’ performance in English language. It was done in selected secondary schools in Nakuru town and used descriptive research design. The study was guided by Gardner and Lambert’s Socio-Educational model of second language acquisition. Stratified random sampling was employed in selecting four schools while simple random sampling was used to choose one stream in form two, three and four in each school for observation. It resulted in eight observational schedules. The study sample of 60 students in form 2-4 and 8 teachers of English was purposively selected for interviews. A total number of 353 learners were observed. The study used interviews, audio recording and Structured Observational Schedules for data collection. The data was presented in form of tables, figures and verbatim transcript excerpts used for exemplification and illustration in a qualitative explication. The findings of the study revealed that second language learners’ performance in English is greatly influenced by teachers’ use of reinforcement. Moreover, it proved that teachers of English give unguarded praises, negative statements and criticisms to English second language learners. This study is a vital contribution to the field of Second Language Acquisition theory and practice with regard to offering information and insight into reinforcement, motivation and attitude in practical language acquisition and learning in the classroom situation. These findings are useful in the improvement of second language learners’ performance in English. Teachers of English will also acquaint themselves with effective use of positive verbal reinforcement which works as a motivational force on learners’ acquisition and use of the English language.