Sheng is a Swahili-based patois, originating in Nairobi, Kenya, and influenced by the many languages spoken there. While primarily a language of urban youths, it has spread across social classes to the halls of the Kenyan parliament and geographically to neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda. While many have adopted Sheng as a vernacular language, others claim that it is undermining standard Swahili.
Originating in the early 1970s in the slums of Nairobi, Sheng is now heard among matatu drivers across the region, and in the popular media. It also evolves rapidly, as words are moved into and out of slang use. It is finding particular use among East African hip hop artists, such as Kalamashaka and Nonini , whose music help spread the language and contribute to rapid changes or shifts in Sheng vocabulary.
Although the grammer, syntax, and much of the vocabulary are drawn from Swahili, Sheng borrows from English and from the languages of the various ethnic groups in Kenya, including Gĩkũyũ, Luo and Kamba .
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Last updated: 06-23-2005 22:05:38
