Whose English in Kenyan schools? A case for a nativized variety
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Date
2002
Authors
Kioko, A.
Muthwii, M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The question, "whose English in Kenyan schools?" would generally elicit two polarised responses.
Language planners and some educators would not hesitate to give the British Standard as the variety
taught in our schools while researchers sensitive to the local sociolinguistic reality would argue that
indeed the variety of English taught and used in our schools is significantly different from the British
Standard variety. The existence of varieties of the English Language, differentfrom the native speakers'
varieties, is now generally accepted by linguists (see Bamgbose, 1982; Kachru, 1985, 1987; Bailey &
Gorladi 1982). In recognition of this fact and its implications for the teaching of English, there has
been an outcry for the adoption of local varieties of English in the education systems of particular
geo-political regions (Schmied, 1990; Platt & Weber, 1984). Scholars with this persuasion insist that
when the localised norm is recognised by contextualizing the teaching materials tofit the local sociocultural
situation, the theoretical norm and actual language behaviour show less discrepancy (Kachru;
1990). In the Kenyan situation it is clear that "local creative writing" has been incorporated into the
mainstream literary teaching materials in the education system. However, the internal local norms of
correctness and appropriateness with regard to either pronunciation, grammar, or semantics have
never been seriously considered, acknowledged or publicly recognised in the same way as has happened
in local creative writing. This creates problems for English language teachers who are not only nonnative
speakers of English but are also expected to harmonise the disparity between the nativized
language of creative writers and that of grammar books, in the teaching of English. This paper, in
examining English Language education in Kenya appraises the relationship between the theoretical
norm and the actual language behaviour, and then discusses the advantages of teaching and examining
a nativized educated variety of English.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Citation
Chemchemi Vol.2, No.1 2002