Sheng mostly spoken by powerless minority

Kenyan youth were greatly excited when United States President Barack Obama greeted delegates at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Sheng.

President Obama surprised the audience and Kenyans watching the televised event when he greeted them saying, “Niaje wasee, hawayuni?” (What’s up guys, how are you all doing?)

Chief Justice Willy Mutunga appears to have rekindled the excitement when he tweeted on his Twitter handle: “Happy Easter. Mujivinjari watunguyaz na musi break law coz wazae wetu wa koti hawako works.”

The use of Sheng by the two powerful figures has been interpreted to mean it can used in any setting. They are mistaken.

Sheng basically belongs to that group of languages that British-born linguist Michael Halliday defined as anti-language — a minority dialect or method of communicating within a minority and a speech community that excludes members of the main speech community.

Linguist Martin Montgomery argues that anti-languages may be understood as extreme versions of social dialects.

Language reflects power structures in the society. Users of Sheng, in our case, are mostly young people who don’t have the things that are associated with power. The language is neither English nor Kiswahili.

Anti-languages such as Sheng are seen as a means of forming a bond among the members or simply to cut off those who don’t belong from understanding the meaning of the words spoken by the sub-group, such as is the case with children in the house or students in a boarding school.

This fringe dialect is separate from the language of those who have the power, authority and influence on society. You can call it Standard English or Standard Kiswahili and Sheng as deviation from that.

The use of Sheng by authority figures such as President Obama or Chief Justice Mutunga is pure condescension.

Obama used Sheng to strike a common bond with the young people. In other words, he stepped down from a high pedestal to level with them so he could win their attention. But immediately thereafter, he went back to his lofty power position by using standard or formal English throughout his speech. He could not have overindulged in Sheng, even if he knew it, because the occasion was formal.

Dr Mutunga has never indulged in Sheng when addressing formal occasions even though he can indulge in that luxury on social media – a dominantly informal as opposed to a formal platform of communication.

One of the basic functions of language in organised society is to influence or regulate the behaviour of others. This is done through persuasion, commanding, and requesting other people to do things you think are good for them or the society,

The influencing is done through invoking certain ideas, values, ideals that define the cultural heritage of the society or cultures that has shaped our civilization.

You cannot ascend to the powerful or influential positions of any society without having been socialised in the cultural nuances which include mastery of the dominant dialect of the language of that society.

Adoption of Sheng or slang by those who shape society through laws and policies and public opinion does not change the facts of life as we behold them.