A Trace of Interpersonal Literacy Communication in Kenya Letters-Telegram-Email-Chats/SMS Sandra Barasa, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics [e-mail]

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A Trace of Interpersonal Literacy Communication
in Kenya Letters-Telegram-Email-Chats/SMS
Sandra Barasa,Leiden University Centre for
Linguisticss.barasa_at_hum.leidenuniv.nl
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Background

• African Literacy Systems
• CMC Literacy in Kenya
• Letters
• Telegrams
• Emails/IM
• SMS

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• Many African Societies were literate before the
  arrival of Europeans.
• In the early 18th Century literacy was prevalent
  among the Vai people of Liberia than in some
  parts of America and Britain
• The Egyptians used the Hieroglyphics in 3200 BC
  AD 400

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Egyptian Hierographics Vai Writing
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Other known early African writing systems

• Tifinagh-Berber languages in Maghreb, Sahara
  Sahel (4th Century B.C)
• Geez-Amharic, Tigirinya Languages in Ethiopia
  Eritrea (5th Century B.C)
• Bamun (Shummom, Bamum) Cameroon (1895-1903)

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• Osmanya in Somali (1920)
• Nko- Manding in Guinea still used in W.A (1922)
• Mende (Kikaku(i)) in Sierra Leone (1930)
• Mandombe-Kikongo, Lingala, Tshiluba in Congo
  (1978)

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• Unfortunately most of these languages were not
  developed
• People adopted focused on literacy brought by
  missionaries and later colonialists

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Literacy in Kenya

• Writing uses the Roman Alphabet
• Earliest forms of this writing were Bible
  translations in the mid 19th C
• Swahili translation was successful
• Vernacular translations were unsuccessful as they
  generalized dialects

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• E.g Luhya was considered as one language, yet it
  has over 19 dialects
• Some of which are mutually unintelligible
• Other examples are in languages like
  Gikuyu/Kikuyu/Gekoyo Bukusu
• Orthography in these languages is distorted and
  does not represent the actual language sounds

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• For example
• Ngai-/ga?/- God
• cucu -/????/-Shosho (grandmother)
• Gotire- /g??re/- gothire (there is no)

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• Generally literature in Vernacular has been
  uncommon until recently
• In 2007 before elections, there was an influx of
  vernacular literature especially in Kikuyu
• Most formal literature is in Swahili English

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Interpersonal Literacy related Communication
Media in Kenya (1970 current)

• The post independence govts have been committed
  in enhancing literacy levels
• Current literacy rate is 79.7.
• Men 10 more than women
• This has enhanced the use of literacy related
  communication media

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• Letters
• First form of literary communication
• Most letters were hand written on foolscaps
• Charges based on stamps
• Special envelopes for local vs international mail

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Letters

• Later formal letters were typed
• Most letters were written in English
• Personal letters were often flamboyant wordy
• They used stamps and took too long in the postal
  transportation

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Telegrams

• Very popular in conveying urgent messages
• 1st media to separate communication from
  transportation

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Telegrams

• They used the Morse code
• They were often terse abbreviated because they
  charged per word
• Punctuations were written out e.g. STOP

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Emails

• Require access to Electricity, Internet a
  computer
• Are of average length like letters
• Used for formal and informal communication
• Current proliferation of obtrusive forwards

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Emails

• Young elite professionals have them free in urban
  work places
• Others access them in commercial internet cafes
• Charges are per time spent online
• Average Kenyans do not have access to them

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Chats

• Similar to emails
• Require simultaneous online presence
• Have the shortest feedback time
• Average length is longer than Email

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Chats

• Unedited more spontaneous
• Mostly limited to Yahoo MSN
• Mostly used between friends

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SMS

• Requires cell phone, airtime network
• Currently is the most widespread
• Cheaper cost effective than calling
• Faster than the letter

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SMS

• Accessible than Email
• No. of characters per message limited to 160
• Leads to creative multilingual language use to
  stay in the limit

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• Other
• Fax Used for official communication in big
  organizations
• Social network sites web pages Blogs, Facebook
  etc-Still to develop

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Conclusion

• Kenya (Africa) is adapting zealously to new media
  which require literacy
• Drawbacks
• Literacy levels stagnant at 79.7 (2003-2008)
• Lack of resources (monetary material)

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• Marginalized rural areas
• Available in elite languages
• Evolving too fast to keep up
• Gender disparity
• Abets fast well coordinated anti-social acts

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• The End
• Sandra Barasa,
• Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL)
• s.barasa_at_hum.leidenuniv.nl

LESLLA African Literacies 23rd Oct. 2008