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Languages in Kenya
The official languages in Kenya are Kiswahili (otherwise known as Swahili) and English both are taught in school. In larger cities, most Kenyans speak English well enough, outside major cities, most Kenyans prefer Kiswahili, because it is closer to their tribal languages, it is hard to find a place in Kenya, where somebody does not some words of Kiswahili, nevertheless, exists many places where nobody knows a bit of English.
Kenya has a rich variety of tribes and cultures, in rural areas, most of them speak their tribal language, exists a total of 62 languages spoken in Kenya, most of them are African languages, the rest are Middle-Eastern and Asian languages spoken by descendants of migrants. The African Languages come from three different language families: Bantu languages, Nilotic languages (which include Maa language and Luo language) and Cushitic languages;
Sheng is another language result of the combination of English, Kiswahili and Bantu tribal languages, this language primarily was used by the urban youths, nowadays it has spread across social classes, it is hard to differentiate from Kiswahili without knowing the language. Some examples of Sheng words are:
Sheng |
English |
| Manzi |
Girl |
| Beste |
Friend |
| Muenjoyo |
Having fun |
| Hare |
To go out at night |
| Waka |
To get drunk |
» Common Kiswahili Phrases
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