Hi Peter<div><br></div><div>Despite having read RFC 5646, I'm not that well versed with distinguishing factors btw 'variant' to 'distinct language' per ISO 639-3 standards. However judging from academic discourse and my experiences on the ground, I'd say sheng is still very much a variant.</div>
<div><br></div><div>From a linguistic standpoint, Sheng borrows heavily from Swahili syntax & grammar. According to one of the <a href="http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol2no8/2.8_EffectsOf.pdf">references</a> listed in the registration:</div>
<div><br></div><div>"‘Sheng’ is based primarily on Kiswahili structure. It uses Kiswahili grammar with lexicon</div><div>drawn from Kiswahili, English and the various ethnic languages mostly spoken in big towns.</div>
<div>Initially, this mixed code was unstable, random and fluid, but it gradually developed more</div><div>systematic patterns of usage at the phonological, morphological and syntactic levels."</div><div><br></div><div>
Another reference:</div><div><div>"Sheng is a sub-language comprising Kiswahili syntax but a motley lexicon from Kiswahili, Arabic,</div><div>English and other local Kenyan languages (Abdulaziz et al. 1997, Githiora, 2002, Iraki 2004)"</div>
</div><div><br></div><div>Finally in terms of L1 speakership, it is quite small at the moment.</div><div><br></div><div>The intention of the description (section 6) was to point out that at minimum there needs to be some delineation between Kiswahili and Sheng, and it seems the appropriate one at this time is 'variant'.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I'd appreciate others to weigh in on this.</div><div><br></div><div>-Denis.<br><div class="gmail_quote">Tarehe 22 Septemba 2010 2:39 alasiri, Peter Constable <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:petercon@microsoft.com">petercon@microsoft.com</a>></span> aliandika:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D">Thanks</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D">Peter</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> <a href="mailto:ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no" target="_blank">ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no" target="_blank">ietf-languages-bounces@alvestrand.no</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Denis Gikunda<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 22, 2010 1:46 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:ietf-languages@alvestrand.no" target="_blank">ietf-languages@alvestrand.no</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Language Tag Registration Form - sw-sheng</span></p><div><div></div><div class="h5">
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hi,</p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Find below the registration form submission for new language variant, sheng. Also find attached a PDF copy of the same.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Denis Gikunda.<br clear="all">
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">LANGUAGE SUBTAG REGISTRATION FORM</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 1. Name of requester:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Denis Gikunda</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 2. E-mail address of requester:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"><a href="mailto:dgikunda@google.com" target="_blank">dgikunda@google.com</a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 3. Record Requested:</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> Type:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">variant</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> Subtag:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">sheng</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> Description:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">a ‘creole’ language based on swahili-KE grammar and a vocabulary derived from Swahili, English, and several other Kenyan languages.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> Prefix: sw</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 4. Intended meaning of the subtag:</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">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.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 5. Reference to published description of the language (book or article):</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">-- Nathan Oyori Ogechi. Trilingual Codeswitching in Kenya – Evidence from Ekegusii,</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Kiswahili, English and Sheng, Hamburg 2002
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">-- 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</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""><br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> 6. Any other relevant information:</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times","serif""></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt">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).</span></li></ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt">Estimated L2 speakership: ><b>1.6 M</b>. 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.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt">1 radio station that broadcasting entirely in Sheng: Ghetto Radio:89.5
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt">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.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="http://www.buzzcity.com/f/mygamma" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#000099">MyGamma</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt">, a popular global
social network, registered Sheng as the </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#333333">fastest growing language on its mobile portal.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"></span></li></ul>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">-- <br>
Denis Gikunda | Localization Manager - Africa | Google | <br>
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</div>
</div></div></div>
</div>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Denis Gikunda | Localization Manager - Africa | Google | <br>Switch Board +254 20 360 1000 | Mobile +254 714 571 405 | Fax +254 20 360 1100<br><br>Subscribe to Google Africa Blog: <a href="http://google-africa.blogspot.com" target="_blank">http://google-africa.blogspot.com</a><br>
<br>7th Floor, Purshottam Place, Westlands Road <br>P.O. Box 66217-00800 Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya <br>-- <br>This email may be confidential or privileged. If you received this <br>communication by mistake, please do not forward it to anyone else, erase all <br>
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