SOMETHING ON DIALECTICAL DIFFERENCE

Something on dialectical differences!

My people it has been a while since I last wrote. I and my family are doing fine. I trust this communication finds you people well wherever you are across the globe.

There is an interesting connection between’ Ch’ and ‘Ki’ in languages! For those of you who may have visited Uganda or are currently living there especially in Kampala you probably have come across a place called Kireka near the famous Nakivumbo Stadium now renamed Nelson Mandela stadium. When you hear the ‘natives’ mention this place you would hear them pronounce ‘Chireka’. The same is the case for the famous teacher training campus called ‘Kyambogo’ which is pronounced ‘Chambogo’.

Here in Kenya, if you have been to Ukambani, you may have come across a school called ‘Kyanguli’, which is pronounced Changuli or even a person’s  name ‘Kyalo’ which is pronounced ‘Chalo’. For those of us who have studied Swahili in school, you may have had a challenge telling the following words apart: Choo, Vyoo, Kioo, Vioo e.t.c. and particularly being able to distinguish which is the plural of which!

Back home, you may have noticed that while some would say Cheekwooni for “we are coming”, others would say Keekwoonii.  Some would say Chubeeti/Cheebeetii for we are going while others would say keebeetii. Some can urge you Cheesartekeey for let’s walk faster while another would say Keesartekeey.

A more interesting scenario is where this particular aspect is transferred from one language to another. You may have heard somebody talk of Wachimbizi for refugees instead of Wakimbizi. Or even a runner saying “sisi tunaenda kuchimbia” instead of kukimbia!

For the Sabaot, in the course of language standardization we chose to go by ‘Kee’ instead of ‘Chee” or to be more specific K instead of Ch. So for the written Sabaot it is expected that we go by K instead of Ch for these kinds of words. But people are free to use whatever form they are comfortable with when it comes to speaking! It is just like the l and n where we chose to go with l in writing but people are free to use n in spoken. I know of a friend who told me that whenever he reads the Sabaot Bible he often substitutes ‘Kini’ for ‘Kule’ since he speaks the Book dialect!

Blessings,

Sabila Ng’ania