English no mark of intelligence

Ever wondered why Kenyans who travel to the US or UK even for a day’s trip would come back with altered accents, yet they do not adopt Indian or Ugandan accents despite travelling to or studying in those countries?

The obsession with English accents, especially American and British, has become endemic in Kenya. Some Kenyans try very hard but end up sounding like a bird being strangled.

Who does not remember the flack Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya got from prejudiced Kenyans on his mispronunciation of “onus”?

A Kenyan MP once kept asking for extension of “erections” rather than elections in parliamentary debate. It was clear to me what he was saying but he still got mocked. But that is to be expected of our brothers and sisters from some regions who find inflictions of ‘Rs’ and ‘Ls’ anathema to their speech.

In short, our mockery of Kenyans who speak with native accents shows our intolerance of the ‘other’. It is becoming discriminatory and bullying technique of native-sounding Kenyans who lose out on opportunities not for lack of intelligence but for having native accents.

Mother tongues

To think that our mother tongues are inferior to the English language highlights our insecurity. Nobody has put it better or campaigned for the use of mother tongue than the globally acclaimed Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiongo. Incidentally, Prof Ngugi can give most Anglo-American accented Kenyans a run for their money when it comes to fluency in English.

The essence of language is being able to communicate and, if that element is satisfied, the rest are unnecessary hiccups put in the way of learning and working.

Speaking both English and mother tongue fluently is beautiful and shows pride in one’s identity. But most of us assume that being bilingual only means being able to speak English and French or Germany.

English is universal and it is claimed to be the second-largest native language. It is important for global business transactions. But that does not mean we disown our mother tongues just to sound like the Queen of England.

Mind you, she has been speaking English all her 95 years. She was literary born to do it! It was also spoken in England for centuries. Try as you may, you cannot beat those records.

This article is inspired by a story that Maritime Principal Secretary, Ms Nancy Karigithu, had said most coastal youth lost out on maritime jobs due to poor English. The story was clarified late; she was misquoted. But the point is, having the best English accent is not a mark of intelligence; neither is speaking fluent English.

Foreign language

Fluency in a foreign language, particularly English, should not be the basis for denying anyone a job. If that is the case, the government should consider giving a crash course in English to the youngsters affected by Sheng to improve their chances. They may have a second chance in life through acquiring language skills lost due to socio-cultural factors.

Sheng is becoming prominent among the youth but its dominance can be curtailed by insistence on proper use of English in schools. I started school in Mombasa, where Kiswahili, the national language, is dominant.

Proper English was enforced by making sure we spoke and practised speaking the language within the school compound and in the classroom. That helped to boost our proficiency in English.

Leaders in Isiolo were not wrong either in protesting recently about the exclusion of local residents during the selection of teachers by TSC. Having non-locals in areas where mother tongues dominate does not help in learning.

While in Moyale, where I learnt my mother tongue, we were taught in English but the teachers took the liberty to explain some subjects in Borana to drive the point home.

Colonial agenda

English is a tribe just like any other. The English just happened to dominate with their language and culture through a colonial agenda. Fixation with the English language and culture undermines our way of life and propagates remnants of colonial ideology.

Your chance of belonging to the English tribe are as low as with any other unless you were born one. The government should help in preserving our cultures.

Not all Kenyans who speak English could claim to be conversant with vocabularies of every industry in the country. That is an issue that can be addressed during training by including English language relevant to the industry at the training stage.

We must stop discrimination of communities that are already marginalised through our prejudices. They require tolerance and support so that they can be brought closer to mainstream society and given equal opportunities. If that takes use of their mother tongues to explain, teach and work, so be it. The end justifies the means.

 [email protected]. @kdiguyo