Language Tag Registration Form - sw-sheng

[Peter Constable]

The description makes this sound like it perhaps should be considered a distinct language as opposed to a dialect of Swahili. If that’s true, it should be considered for addition to ISO 639-3 rather than coding a variant. Can you please comment on this and clarify its linguistic status wrt Swahili.


Thanks
Peter

From: ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no [mailto:ietf-languages-bounces at alvestrand.no] On Behalf Of Denis Gikunda
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 1:46 PM
To: ietf-languages at alvestrand.no
Subject: Language Tag Registration Form - sw-sheng

Hi,

Find below the registration form submission for new language variant, sheng. Also find attached a PDF copy of the same.

Denis Gikunda.
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LANGUAGE SUBTAG REGISTRATION FORM

  1. Name of requester: Denis Gikunda
  2. E-mail address of requester: dgikunda at google.com<mailto:dgikunda at google.com>
  3. Record Requested:

     Type: variant
     Subtag: sheng
     Description: a ‘creole’ language based on swahili-KE grammar and a vocabulary derived from Swahili, English, and several other Kenyan languages.
     Prefix: sw

  4. Intended meaning of the subtag:
The subtag represents the social code ‘sheng’ or colloquial identifier for the variant.  sw-sheng language tag should denote that it is a derivative of sw-KE.

  5. Reference to published description of the language (book or article):
-- Nathan Oyori Ogechi. Trilingual Codeswitching in Kenya – Evidence from Ekegusii,
Kiswahili, English and Sheng, Hamburg 2002
-- Clara Momanyi, Ph.D.  The Effects of ‘Sheng’ in the Teaching of Kiswahili in Kenyan Schools, The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.2, no.8, March 2009

  6. Any other relevant information:

  *   Sheng contains words and influences from English and several other Bantu and Nilotic languages e.g. Luo and Kikuyu. It began around the late 70s in Nairobi, but is now spoken in every urban town in Kenya (Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Meru).

  *   Estimated L2 speakership:  >1.6 M. Some L1 speakers emerging urban and peri-urban settlements / slums. Usage is growing towards rural youth. At this size it is 7th most widely spoken language in Kenya, behind Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kalenjin, Kamba & Somali.
  *   1 radio station that broadcasting entirely in Sheng: Ghetto Radio:89.5
  *   All leading print, TV & outdoor media use campaigns primarily in Sheng.  Notably mobile operators#, Banks, and NGOs have used sheng in their outdoor display advertising.
  *   MyGamma<http://www.buzzcity.com/f/mygamma>, a popular global social network, registered Sheng as the fastest growing language on  its mobile portal.
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