Promoting indigenous languages: code-switching and code-mixing in political discourse in Dholuo

Abstract

Kiswahili is the national language of the Republic of Kenya as stipulated by the Kenyan constitution. Both Kiswahili and English are stipulated as the official languages of the republic. As for the indigenous languages, the constitution states that the state shall promote and protect the diversity of languages of the people of Kenya. As a result, the number of indigenous radio stations promoting the use of indigenous languages has increased in Kenya. This chapter presents the findings of a study that was conducted to investigate the use of code-switching in indigenous radio stations, specifically in the discussion of political issues. The chapter demonstrates how social representations influence the use of English and Kiswahili lexicon during discussions of political issues in indigenous languages in Kenya. The research was based on the markedness model and the social representations theory. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from Dholuo-speaking respondents selected by a combination of purposive and snowballing techniques. The sample population included respondents from the Kobong’o sub-location, the Onjiko location in Kisumu County, and students and staff from The Technical University of Kenya. A sample of political discourse was also recorded and analysed from an indigenous radio station (Mayienga FM). It was found that the use of the English lexicon is prevalent in the discussion of political issues in indigenous languages and that the attitude towards code-switching in indigenous languages was positive, especially amongst literate respondents. The authors concluded that the insufficient indigenous lexicon in discussion of political issues is due to the lack of formal structures for teaching indigenous languages