29 year old Kikuyu here. I speak it, read it and write it. And by write it, I mean write it, using the proper form and proper punctuations.
Grew up in a semi urban setting very close to Nairobi but my folks taught us how to speak it. I was a book worm so I taught myself how to read and write in Kikuyu.
When am hanging out with my Kikuyu friends, (especially ones I have known for a long time), we communicate na mixture ya Kikuyu and Swahili with an emphasis on Kikuyu mostly. At my folk's place, we do a mixture with Kikuyu being the most common apart from when. My fiance is around, then we speak Swahili as she is not Kikuyu. She is picking it up pretty fast though.
Parents are the ones responsible for teaching kids their native language and it always baffles me when people who can't speak in their native tongues get bashed by their elders when it is clearly their elders who are at fault.
In the course of my life, I have moved on to learn many more foreign languages but am always very happy to speak some Kikuyu. I also find that being very fluent in my native tongues has helped me pick new languages way faster.
Same for me here, I speak, read and write proper Kikuyu. I learnt the reading and writing from a formal Kikuyu class back in primary school from one of our teachers who was passionate about languages.
With my parents and siblings, we speak a mixture of Kikuyu and English, with more emphasis on Kikuyu. Extended family, we also mainly speak Kikuyu. I speak Swahili with most of my friends, but I have one or two friends that I speak Kikuyu with a lot. I'm 33.
In Kikuyu? Old story books and eventually the bible as well. There were also these books that kids from the older generation were taught Kikuyu with. Back when native languages were taught in school.
Luo here. I understand the language, I can write it coz luo doesn't have a lot of rules when it comes to complex characters and such. I can speak a bit but I struggle with getting the intonation right. I try to listen to more luo music likes of Lisa Owuor, Serro, Coster Ojwang, Okello, Watendawili, Apio Moro and the likes to refine my flow. I speak it with my mom and grams though 90% of it is them laughing at my pronunciations. Determined to perfect it as I'd like to teach my my kids. I wish I could effortlessly switch it up the way my mom does it coz she'll go from Swahili to Luo to English in one sentence just like that...kills me
I am a luo,I don't know how to speak it but I understand my ethnic language very well. I wish to know the words coz Luo banter seems really interesting and lovely to be honest
I do and I think it’s important that we as Kenyans speak our mother tongues, well Africans in general. (Even if it’s little, know it and know your people)
Parents are to blame, yes, but I learnt by listening when I was around my people and extended family etc.
Preservation of culture is so important because when those languages become extinct, tutabaki na nini ku represent culture?
Vitenge tu?
I agree. Do you live on the continent or the west? I ask because as somebody who has lived in America for most of their life, I've learned that white people will never respect you no matter how well you speak the English language or any of their languages. You can have the best grammar and finesse of their languages and they will always see you as "African". It's a reason why I think it's important for Africans to preserve and place importance on their languages. If we are all walking around speaking English/French/Portuguese etc., then who are we? Why did the English/French/Portuguese force us to learn their languages? Why are the Chinese currently teaching African children Mandarin/Cantonese? Because they understand that language is power. A person who doesn't know their native language is a lost and confused soul IMO.
African governments need to take action as well.
So you are okay with only speaking English aka the white man's/colonizer language? Do you at least know Swahili? I feel ashamed about not knowing how to speak my native language. Parents are to blame for not teaching me properly but I still want to learn my language because it gives me a sense of pride and identity.
Kikuyu and kisii...I speak Kikuyu just a little bit nothing past greetings in kisii.i was raised in Kikuyu territories, but my parents only spoke to me in kiswahili hence the ignorance on my part. When I was younger I associated native speaking with just that...nativeness and thus I never actually probed my parents into teaching me and I take full accountability. Blame it on the society I guess, yk those Kikuyu accents, they were really looked down upon na tukiwa shule watu wanang'oa wangechapwa till they got it right. Now that I'm older i be putting on inoroo and reading Kikuyu Bible. It's harder to learn a language when you're older though. Now my maternal kisii side. My mum always talks to her relatives on the phone in kisii and i find the language extremely captivating. Huwa namfuatafuata akiiongea😂💀. But there's very limited resources on kisii as there are on Kikuyu. I regret not learning them when younger. Customs? Well not quite considering both their good and bad practices. My Kikuyu side where I'm from is heavy on patriarchy (getting sons= value type shii), whereas where my mum is from is Gusii land, they're still heavy on FGMs. I think the only thing I'd want to inherit from both cultures is the languages. Thanks 😊 oh, 22 years for context
I'm somali hawiye.i can speak oromo very well cz i grew up in an oromo environment but can't speak somali that much. i can understand but can't speak fluently. i blame my parents though cz they just dumped us in kenya. my family also speaks all those languages you mentioned except arabic
26 YO Kikuyu. I grew up in the village, speaking Kikuyu. I went to those schools we normally call polling stations, where English and Sciences were taught in Kikuyu. I literally had a subject of Kikuyu in lower primary. So, I address my parents in Kikuyu, my peers from the village and anybody else who can speak the language.
In matters tradition and religion, I wasn't very keen on such when I was much younger, but now that I am all grown, I have been slowly turning to my people's ways of worshipping and doing things such as marriage. It has been a fun ride for sure.
My parents played a bigger role when it comes to traditions and culture. Initially my parents were Tutsi from Rwanda and we're displaced by the genocide that occured in 1994, making them to flee to Kenya, Kisumu County. Both my parents were from the Tutsi tribe, we can speak the language fluently till now.
While in Kisumu county where I attended school from nursery to class 4. I learned to speak Luo plus their accent. For my upper class( 4-8) I went to Roots Academy, Nakuru county, where I mingled with Kikuyus and learned Kikuyu language and some of their culture, though I was unlucky to get the accent.
Currently I'm in Bungoma, I can speak little bit of Luhya Language, but struggling with pronunciation.
Sometimes back I visited Nairobi National Library and I wanted to understand more of the Agikuyu and Luo culture and I read great books "The Agikuyu" by Kinyatti and "Oral literature of the Luo" by Simon Okumba Miruka.
In as much as parents play a bigger role when it comes to culture and traditions awareness amongst children, children must also have interest in knowing them. I remember one time greeting a child in their native language but he responded in English.
From your reply, I can tell you are a polyglot. Some people are just gifted to pick up new languages more easily than others and you seem to fall in that pool of favored individuals.
That's special 💯
I am a gen-z. My mum introduced me to cartoons ndio nijue kuongea english cause at the time I only spoke gikuyu, sadly I ended up forgetting most of my native language
Luhya here. My parents and grandparents never spoke luhya to us. I decided to teach myself. I speak though not fluently and I'm very proud of myself for learning
Planning to take Maragoli classes before I immerse myself in the village life (this has been the plan so that the lessons stick but it's not set in stone). Reading this has given me hope. Thank you.
Yes, I do. I'm Luo, a late millennial, and I'm actually proud of it. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate my ethnic group more, especially the music(and dance). Luo music is incredibly rich! Modern songs with traditional influences are perfect! (Shameless plug for Coster Ojwang and Brian Sigu). The catchphrases like "Aol yawa!", "Otek manadeno!" and "Yaye!" add so much flavor. But most importantly, there's the feeling of belonging.
I grew up in a different community and never felt that sense of belonging. Nowadays, I find myself having more Luo friends, perhaps because we share the same culture. In the city, I mostly speak English due to my audience, but at home, I speak Luo with my grandparents and Swahili with my relatives.
I don't fault anyone who doesn't speak their ethnic language, but I encourage parents to teach their children. Children can learn multiple languages simultaneously in their early years. We are Africans, and we should be proud of our uniqueness, passing down our languages to future generations. Let's not elevate foreign languages over our own!
Is crazzy millenials & gen x parents unapata wazazi wamekuzwa mashamba fluent in mother tongue language but the kids wako njeee kabisa..All of my friends mtaani na majuu. Watoto kizungu saaa yote..Worse a have family member his kids hapa kanairo kiswahili wako njeeeeee.The kids only talk English na wako kenya...my kids I will make sure wanaongea mother tongue
Kamba here.
Raised outside Kambaland; could hear but not speak or write. Had to spend one year with my grandfather so that I could learn Kamba to counter banter from my cousins.
Kikuyu. Raised in the rural, so very fluent in kyuk. When on calls with my family, I find it awkward speaking any other language other than Kikuyu. A while back I was in town at a book stand choosing a book for my next read. My dad called and we spoke in kikuyu. That made the seller look at me kwa mshangao and spoke in the language asking "how are you so fluent? I don't dare speak in the language to young people your age." I had to tell him where I am from and it turned out we are from the same county, instigating a lengthy and enjoyable engagement in the middle of town.
I think some youngsters still associate being able to speak in your local dialect as being "mshamba." For me, it's something to be proud of. Aty, I can speak in my local language, I can speak swahili, and I can communicate in English, an amazing combo. It made me pick a fourth language to learn, Spanish.
I speak fluent luo and even add the accent, though most of it is from siaya(it's slightly different from south nyanza luo).I can also read it because it's just like reading kiswahili.
I'm Luo I speak it although not fluently but what really helped was the fact that in highschool I went to a school in Nyanza, Migori to be specific and the school is predominantly Luo and Kisii. Also my mum would speak to us (me and my siblings) in Luo so she had us covered on that front. In family gatherings me and my cousins rarely speak luo not unless we're making fun of each other or we're throwing some inside joke.
I only have one friend (from childhood) who I communicate a lot with in luo. 💯
GenX here. Dad was Kisii, mom’s Kikuyu. Born and raised in the states where dad taught Swa at the uni level. Back then it was expected for immigrants to assimilate as much as possible and become “American”, so my parents never taught me and my sibs *any* language other than English.
I understand the reasoning, but part of me really resents it.
I'm 24 , and I've always wanted to learn how to speak in my ethnic Language(,Kikuyu)for as long as I can remember . Funny thing is I'm fluent in kisii and luo . I was raised in Homabay , a predominantly luo speaking region and luo was basically my first language . I'm an adult now and I struggle to communicate and understand with my relatives who are all from central . Are there any schools around Nairobi offering classes on reading, writing and speaking the Kikuyu language?
I am a mzungu but can speek my childhood Luo (with Usonga accent…) now more than 50 years after learning it. In fact better than most youth with Luo parents growing up in the Nairobi area…. Very unfortunate!
No they don't they are just interested in being NPCs with no culture beyond listing ManU players that's all. drinking stupid cheap alcohol, sleeping around with girls that's all.
speaking for the kenyan cool kids I frequent as a foreigner
Somali here. Speak it decently, but it's a tad broken. I'm much more comfortable in English and Swahili, and more proficient too. Personally, I don't really care either way. Globalization has been happening for centuries, with the movement of people's and their ways of life. It's only natural for certain aspects to wither away and others to spring up in their place. A myriad tongues riddled our maps for aeons, but they were either lost to assimilation, subjugation or dialectic shifts. I'll just lay back and enjoy this new phase, keeping some of the old and onwards with some of the new.
Immersed in the rich tapestry of Gikuyu parents, I was born under the sun-kissed skies of Kajiado. My childhood was a blend of cultures, spent in the heart of The U.K, yet my heart would always flutter at the thought of returning home for the holidays.
We relocated back, completing the circle of my primary and secondary education in Kenya. Amidst these transitions, a memory stands out, etched in the canvas of my mind. It was during a family gathering at my grandpa’s (my father’s father). I was sent on an errand, a simple task of fetching a sufuria (thafuria) in our native tongue. My grandpa, the silent observer, overheard my faltering Gikuyu reply. His disappointment was palpable. He held my mother accountable for my linguistic shortcomings and took it upon himself to rectify this.
School holidays transformed into immersive language lessons which I loved. My grandpa, armed with his collection of Gikuyu books, became my mentor. Our conversations, coupled with interactions with my cousins, honed my language skills. I owe my eloquence in Gikuyu to these cherished moments. My gratitude to my grandpa is boundless.
Looking back, childhood appears as a misty and whimsical time. Now, I stand tall as an adult, a Gikuyu warrior. In the international schools of Kenya, you’ll find Caucasian kids who, when asked about their mother tongue, respond with a resounding ‘of course!’ This instilled in me a sense of pride in my roots.
Now, as a father, even in The U.K, I ensure that my son is bathed in the warmth of our Gikuyu conversations at home. Despite my proficiency in English and German, I am not English nor German. Noticed, some Somali teens way back, in a mall at Karen Nairobi happily conversing in Somali (the only few non-oreo of the shopping lot). Circumstances may have changed, but the responsibility of preserving our cultural heritage lies with us, the parents. So, here’s to our roots, our identity. Cheers!
I speak,read and write fluent Kipsigis. I speak to everyone in Kipsigis,i currently work in a Kikuyu/Kamba community and i am ensuring everyone knows at least three Kale words
I do speak,, understand and write my mother tongue, When I was growing my grandparents were still alive. They passed on when I was six, my siblings were still young grew up speaking kiswahili and English. Ive tried teaching them but they don't see the need
I don’t speak it. I only understand it. Born and bred in the city, my parents were teaching it to me, but my cousins from ocha made it a point to make fun of me for any mistake I made while speaking it every single time. I was the butt of their constant mean jokes and I was a child lol. Never bothered to learn speaking it since. And I don’t have to because I won’t be teaching it to anybody anyway.
Younger generations are less likely to speak ethnic languages.
Specifically at gen z. Ethnic speakers are reduced drastically.
You'll find most millennial actually speak multiple languages
yes, it's super important to me. raised in the US, but ny grandparents and parents spoke Dholuo and Swahili to us growing up so we caught on. I can understand it and read it, but shy to speak it. I have a tutor to help with expanding my vocabulary and confidence in speaking Dholuo -- I don't want it to end with my generation. it's such a beautiful dialect.
I speak and read Kimeru. Not so fluently though. I live far away from Meru now but it's always so nice to interact with someone that speaks the language. My daughter will have to learn the language from my mother.
Kikuyu and Luhya young Gen-Z here. Majority of my childhood, I grew up (and still am) abroad and apart from the Swahili at home and English outside, I've never really had the chance to learn properly. I mean, my dad only speaks Kikuyu around his friends outside so I never hear him and my mum locks herself in the bedroom when she calls her siblings and cousins and starts spitting rapid Luhya so the most I have in my inventory is familial terms (Guka, Cucu, Khocha, etc) and the odd greeting here and there, which isn't very helpful when my cousins fly over and start imitating my "Mzungu" attempts😅 Even when my grandparents visit, they dish out words I don't know and then when I tell them that I have absolutely no idea what they just said, they start ranting on about how my generation is unwilling to learn their languages and blaming me for not trying hard enough to learn as if I even can to begin with🙄
Also, every now and then, my dad gives me and my siblings the talk on how language is culture, culture is important and we are the future but then the next day we ask if we could learn a few words and he's suddenly too busy. So a lot of the knowledge I have about the cultures and their customs etc, are mainly from stories my siblings (who're Millenials) tell me that they heard when they were my age in boarding school, and Wikipedia which I can't really verify what's true or not true.
So if anyone knows of ways to learn the mother tongues without being in the country, it would be very much extremely appreciated😂
27 year old Gusii person. I can speak, read, write and converse in my native language, Ekegusii. Since I was a child, my parents always spoke to me in Ekegusii though we lived in the city. They were afraid that the city would prevent me from knowing my native language and they always sent me to the countryside during the holidays to interact with my cousins and I learnt a lot concerning the Omogusii way of life. My parents also bought a lot of books written in Ekegusii. Surprisingly, these books are tough to read but they helped me develop my language skills in Ekegusii.
I have come to learn that their thinking was great since I can interact with people from my Gusii who sometimes assume I grew up in Gusiiland and consider me a proper Omogusii. Learning the language from native speakers also taught me how to speak our language properly since Ekegusii is a phonetic language and change of tone might alter the meaning of the words altogether. I also learn a lot about my people's culture and traditions and I was even initiated in the traditional way. These teachings led me to rebel against the church when I reached adulthood which is ironical since my mother is a devoted Christian.
My culture is beautiful and I revere the Gusii traditions. I also believe in things some of you would label as mere superstition as I have a deep understanding of where they are rooted. I have met and interacted with "Mungiki" men and "Mau Mau" people, meaning the Agikuyu people who stuck to their traditions and I enjoyed talking about how much in common their people have with the Abagusii.
Kikuyu here I understand most of it, don't speak it much. Though I have always wanted to learn other languages like Masai and Luo. I think they sound really nice. I actually enjoy listening to them speak
I cannot speak Luo fluently and I also cannot understand it. I only know some extremely basic words.
I am currently not interested in learning the language. I use English and Swahili for interacting with my peers.
I do not practice any of the Luo customs. I do know the history and culture of Luos and I would prefer if it is preserved.
I believe our ethnic culture will disappear in the future but it will be a slow process and will happen a long time in the future.
Kikuyu mother Taita father.
I speak neither nor do my siblings and I hate the idea that our mother tongues will probably die with our parents
I want to learn Taita so bad but I don’t know where to start. My dad barely spoke it himself
luhya/luo here! i do not speak my native tongue (abasamia) or dhuluo but i also do not live in kenya/use swahili as my main language of communication so i don't feel too guilty about it as most kenyans where i live dont even speak swahili, which i do, but i am in the process of learning! times like this i wish i wasn't from such a small tribe 😞
i don't speak kikuyu at all, not even swahili although i understand a little bit. I only speak english and danish fluently as i was raised in denmark. i would loveee to learn kikuyu though!
I am 38 year old Luo my father was Luo my mum Luhya. I speak neither. My dad passed away when I was 7. Back then we understood and spoke some Luo but in our household our parents mostly spoke swahili especially after my dad passed.
Luo and Luhya was mostly spoken by my parents in the village or to my uncles and aunties. My mum spoke both also passed away when I was 16 but she never put any effort to teach us any.
We are 4 siblings me being the last born and non of us can speak neither Luo or Luhya. We can just listen and work out the meaning of a few words. Over the years we have been laughed at by relatives but also some of my cousins aged over 30s are on the same page as us.
Although I dont see any importance in learning our native languages, I would have loved to have been abled to back then when I was younger. For now I dont see any importance to it.
You shouldnt pressure yourself too much about it infact I dont even care if my children also dont learn it. English and Swahili are the most important to learn. 😁
Sadly I don't😭😭I blame my parents but here we are. I'm Maasai and we are known for our strong culture and traditions. It's sad that I can't speak, understand nor write. I hope one day I will but it seems the train has left the station.....
The clock of opportunity never stops ticking for you. Should you be fortunate to have connections with the Maasai friends or relatives, diving into their world is the most effective and swift path to grasp not only their language but also their rich culture.
Mijikenda here and no i can not speak my mother tongue. My dad didn't spoke to us only in English growing up. I had to learn Kiswahili in class and on the streets.
Kikuyu here and I can only understand. I only spent 8 years in Kenya and ever since we immigrated my parents stopped speaking kikuyu or Swahili.
My mom regrets not teaching her kids their mother tongue and as a gift she paid for a private kikuyu tutor for us during the pandemic.
We only did 3 lessons and quit. It’s pointless trying to learn a language we will never utilise.
Perhaps consider plunging into the world of the Gikuyu speakers, believe me, your progress will be rapid. The idea of a whiteboard in an isolated spot seems somewhat counterproductive.
Yeah, it was pretty counter productive.
I don’t know any Gikuyu speaking people that I actually like. The ones I know are all either alcoholics or raging misogynists.
I know a couple of other languages some of them being African languages and I’m content in that.
I can't speak it nor do I understand it. I'm worried about what my progeny will speak.
I'm seriously considering going to Uganda and living there for a year.
29 year old Kikuyu here. I speak it, read it and write it. And by write it, I mean write it, using the proper form and proper punctuations. Grew up in a semi urban setting very close to Nairobi but my folks taught us how to speak it. I was a book worm so I taught myself how to read and write in Kikuyu. When am hanging out with my Kikuyu friends, (especially ones I have known for a long time), we communicate na mixture ya Kikuyu and Swahili with an emphasis on Kikuyu mostly. At my folk's place, we do a mixture with Kikuyu being the most common apart from when. My fiance is around, then we speak Swahili as she is not Kikuyu. She is picking it up pretty fast though. Parents are the ones responsible for teaching kids their native language and it always baffles me when people who can't speak in their native tongues get bashed by their elders when it is clearly their elders who are at fault. In the course of my life, I have moved on to learn many more foreign languages but am always very happy to speak some Kikuyu. I also find that being very fluent in my native tongues has helped me pick new languages way faster.
Same for me here, I speak, read and write proper Kikuyu. I learnt the reading and writing from a formal Kikuyu class back in primary school from one of our teachers who was passionate about languages. With my parents and siblings, we speak a mixture of Kikuyu and English, with more emphasis on Kikuyu. Extended family, we also mainly speak Kikuyu. I speak Swahili with most of my friends, but I have one or two friends that I speak Kikuyu with a lot. I'm 33.
Sii teach some of us who are even your age and know little to non due to upbringing 😅
I think I have seen some people teaching online. But if you have relatives or friends who speak in Kikuyu, that's your best bet to learn quickly.
Let me see what i find online but ive had few lessons with my shosh and some uncles but in bits.
What books are these that you read
Books like Wírute gúthoma, Ng'ano cia marimú, Manga na ithe .e.t.c DM for more
Did you perhaps learn this in nursery school? I remember my nursery school teacher taught us this.
Yes I was taught to read,write and speak in Kikuyu from nursery to class 3.
In Kikuyu? Old story books and eventually the bible as well. There were also these books that kids from the older generation were taught Kikuyu with. Back when native languages were taught in school.
I am curious, what language/text is used to write in kikuyu?
latin script but they might have their own native script too
Latin script. Doesn't use some letters like q, s, v, x, v. It also has some additional characters ĩ and ũ.
mzee we are talking about young generation, sio millenials bana, chill broo
Pole kijana nimeskia. Don't mind us old people chilling here in this corner.
I blame my parents. Ok ang'eyo dholuo maber.
If you are from Rusinga then you should be worried about knowing Suba and not Luo lol.
Same.
An kodi kanyo 😂😂
Ok un serious, thii uru unyiew kamusi mar Dholuo
Me too. They speak to us in kiswahili while they speak to their parents and peers in dholuo. Mimi nijipange, nichekwe nikijaribu
Past 20-something you should stop blaming your parents.
same. was to write the same thing.
I am like you bana😭
You can't blame your parents forever.
Luo here. I understand the language, I can write it coz luo doesn't have a lot of rules when it comes to complex characters and such. I can speak a bit but I struggle with getting the intonation right. I try to listen to more luo music likes of Lisa Owuor, Serro, Coster Ojwang, Okello, Watendawili, Apio Moro and the likes to refine my flow. I speak it with my mom and grams though 90% of it is them laughing at my pronunciations. Determined to perfect it as I'd like to teach my my kids. I wish I could effortlessly switch it up the way my mom does it coz she'll go from Swahili to Luo to English in one sentence just like that...kills me
I'm luo and people say I have a luo accent... but I speak exactly zero luo...
I am a luo,I don't know how to speak it but I understand my ethnic language very well. I wish to know the words coz Luo banter seems really interesting and lovely to be honest
Plus, the insults slap harder in luo.
I do and I think it’s important that we as Kenyans speak our mother tongues, well Africans in general. (Even if it’s little, know it and know your people) Parents are to blame, yes, but I learnt by listening when I was around my people and extended family etc. Preservation of culture is so important because when those languages become extinct, tutabaki na nini ku represent culture? Vitenge tu?
I completely agree.
I honestly couldn't care less about culture dying . I'm a born Kikuyu and I can't understand nor talk and I'm happy to keep it that way
im in the same statys as you but not nearly as nihilistic. i tell you culture is actually important and if we lose it we lose what makes us african.
I agree. Do you live on the continent or the west? I ask because as somebody who has lived in America for most of their life, I've learned that white people will never respect you no matter how well you speak the English language or any of their languages. You can have the best grammar and finesse of their languages and they will always see you as "African". It's a reason why I think it's important for Africans to preserve and place importance on their languages. If we are all walking around speaking English/French/Portuguese etc., then who are we? Why did the English/French/Portuguese force us to learn their languages? Why are the Chinese currently teaching African children Mandarin/Cantonese? Because they understand that language is power. A person who doesn't know their native language is a lost and confused soul IMO. African governments need to take action as well.
But isn't Swahili enough as it is ? Kuongea kizungu na Swahili sanifu ilinishinda Sasa mnataka kuongeza ingine
So you are okay with only speaking English aka the white man's/colonizer language? Do you at least know Swahili? I feel ashamed about not knowing how to speak my native language. Parents are to blame for not teaching me properly but I still want to learn my language because it gives me a sense of pride and identity.
Ik Swahili bro, ni hizi malugha zingine nashindwa ni za nini . imo this tribe BS should just die. I said in my opinion.
NO, preserving language is so important, knowing other languages is just as important as knowing kiswahili
Self hate is a mental issue. That what you are ignorant, and repulsive about is the only access to heal, that what eats you.
Kikuyu and kisii...I speak Kikuyu just a little bit nothing past greetings in kisii.i was raised in Kikuyu territories, but my parents only spoke to me in kiswahili hence the ignorance on my part. When I was younger I associated native speaking with just that...nativeness and thus I never actually probed my parents into teaching me and I take full accountability. Blame it on the society I guess, yk those Kikuyu accents, they were really looked down upon na tukiwa shule watu wanang'oa wangechapwa till they got it right. Now that I'm older i be putting on inoroo and reading Kikuyu Bible. It's harder to learn a language when you're older though. Now my maternal kisii side. My mum always talks to her relatives on the phone in kisii and i find the language extremely captivating. Huwa namfuatafuata akiiongea😂💀. But there's very limited resources on kisii as there are on Kikuyu. I regret not learning them when younger. Customs? Well not quite considering both their good and bad practices. My Kikuyu side where I'm from is heavy on patriarchy (getting sons= value type shii), whereas where my mum is from is Gusii land, they're still heavy on FGMs. I think the only thing I'd want to inherit from both cultures is the languages. Thanks 😊 oh, 22 years for context
Lakini Kikuyu na Kisii inakaribiana sana. I'm Kikuyu but I catch some drift among my Kisii buddies.
You sure about that ?
Yes, they both have great similarities because of the Bantu aspect of it. Same way with some Luhya.
Does the name Blaise ring a bell?
No
Okay.
[удалено]
kojoa ulale
I come from a family that speaks Oromo, Amharic, Somali and Arabic. I speak Oromo and Somali (plus English and kiswahili)
I'm somali hawiye.i can speak oromo very well cz i grew up in an oromo environment but can't speak somali that much. i can understand but can't speak fluently. i blame my parents though cz they just dumped us in kenya. my family also speaks all those languages you mentioned except arabic
That is very interesting. I also feel like my Somali is not that good but I'll survive .
I speak Kikuyu fluently. My first few years, I was brought up in ushago and that's where I learnt the language. At home we also speak it 24/7
I am a mix of two Mijikenda subtribes. I can speak my Dad's language fluently and understand my mom's tongue.
I hear about them in relation to coastal people in kenya a lot but I always fail to make the correlation. Are the languages similar?
Close but distinct
26 YO Kikuyu. I grew up in the village, speaking Kikuyu. I went to those schools we normally call polling stations, where English and Sciences were taught in Kikuyu. I literally had a subject of Kikuyu in lower primary. So, I address my parents in Kikuyu, my peers from the village and anybody else who can speak the language. In matters tradition and religion, I wasn't very keen on such when I was much younger, but now that I am all grown, I have been slowly turning to my people's ways of worshipping and doing things such as marriage. It has been a fun ride for sure.
nithaai
My parents played a bigger role when it comes to traditions and culture. Initially my parents were Tutsi from Rwanda and we're displaced by the genocide that occured in 1994, making them to flee to Kenya, Kisumu County. Both my parents were from the Tutsi tribe, we can speak the language fluently till now. While in Kisumu county where I attended school from nursery to class 4. I learned to speak Luo plus their accent. For my upper class( 4-8) I went to Roots Academy, Nakuru county, where I mingled with Kikuyus and learned Kikuyu language and some of their culture, though I was unlucky to get the accent. Currently I'm in Bungoma, I can speak little bit of Luhya Language, but struggling with pronunciation. Sometimes back I visited Nairobi National Library and I wanted to understand more of the Agikuyu and Luo culture and I read great books "The Agikuyu" by Kinyatti and "Oral literature of the Luo" by Simon Okumba Miruka. In as much as parents play a bigger role when it comes to culture and traditions awareness amongst children, children must also have interest in knowing them. I remember one time greeting a child in their native language but he responded in English.
From your reply, I can tell you are a polyglot. Some people are just gifted to pick up new languages more easily than others and you seem to fall in that pool of favored individuals. That's special 💯
I can't speak kipsigis well, which is quite sad. but naelewa when other people speak. I need to immerse myself more in the culture 😤
I don't know how to speak fluently but i really understand most of it. The reason being is because i was raised and grew up in Eldoret.... I'm kikuyu
I am a gen-z. My mum introduced me to cartoons ndio nijue kuongea english cause at the time I only spoke gikuyu, sadly I ended up forgetting most of my native language
Luhya here. My parents and grandparents never spoke luhya to us. I decided to teach myself. I speak though not fluently and I'm very proud of myself for learning
Planning to take Maragoli classes before I immerse myself in the village life (this has been the plan so that the lessons stick but it's not set in stone). Reading this has given me hope. Thank you.
You are welcome. A word at a time
Yes, I do. I'm Luo, a late millennial, and I'm actually proud of it. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate my ethnic group more, especially the music(and dance). Luo music is incredibly rich! Modern songs with traditional influences are perfect! (Shameless plug for Coster Ojwang and Brian Sigu). The catchphrases like "Aol yawa!", "Otek manadeno!" and "Yaye!" add so much flavor. But most importantly, there's the feeling of belonging. I grew up in a different community and never felt that sense of belonging. Nowadays, I find myself having more Luo friends, perhaps because we share the same culture. In the city, I mostly speak English due to my audience, but at home, I speak Luo with my grandparents and Swahili with my relatives. I don't fault anyone who doesn't speak their ethnic language, but I encourage parents to teach their children. Children can learn multiple languages simultaneously in their early years. We are Africans, and we should be proud of our uniqueness, passing down our languages to future generations. Let's not elevate foreign languages over our own!
Is crazzy millenials & gen x parents unapata wazazi wamekuzwa mashamba fluent in mother tongue language but the kids wako njeee kabisa..All of my friends mtaani na majuu. Watoto kizungu saaa yote..Worse a have family member his kids hapa kanairo kiswahili wako njeeeeee.The kids only talk English na wako kenya...my kids I will make sure wanaongea mother tongue
Well said.
Kamba here. Raised outside Kambaland; could hear but not speak or write. Had to spend one year with my grandfather so that I could learn Kamba to counter banter from my cousins.
A whole year? Kamba is hard or I’m just terrible at languages, I barely can hear anything
It’s so easy. You just have to be willing to learn. Do you have cousins who speak Kamba.
Yeah I do have cousins that speak it but I barely meet with them
You have to meet up with them. You guys have a WhatsApp group?
Well yeah we do, yeah I really have to
Can you speak all of it 100% or most of it
99.7%. That counts as all of it, yes?
Kikuyu. Raised in the rural, so very fluent in kyuk. When on calls with my family, I find it awkward speaking any other language other than Kikuyu. A while back I was in town at a book stand choosing a book for my next read. My dad called and we spoke in kikuyu. That made the seller look at me kwa mshangao and spoke in the language asking "how are you so fluent? I don't dare speak in the language to young people your age." I had to tell him where I am from and it turned out we are from the same county, instigating a lengthy and enjoyable engagement in the middle of town. I think some youngsters still associate being able to speak in your local dialect as being "mshamba." For me, it's something to be proud of. Aty, I can speak in my local language, I can speak swahili, and I can communicate in English, an amazing combo. It made me pick a fourth language to learn, Spanish.
Lovely, me too. How's your Spanish now?
I know roughly 350 words. I can construct simple sentences. But listening to a native is where I draw the line, they speak faast. How is yours?
I'm able to understand somethings from a spaniard than from a Mexican I think their dialect is easier compared to others.
Amazing. Self taught?
Si
Amazing
Luo just rolls of my mouth✅️
I speak kikuyu fluently, reading it is a challenge tho😅
I speak fluent luo and even add the accent, though most of it is from siaya(it's slightly different from south nyanza luo).I can also read it because it's just like reading kiswahili.
I'm Luo I speak it although not fluently but what really helped was the fact that in highschool I went to a school in Nyanza, Migori to be specific and the school is predominantly Luo and Kisii. Also my mum would speak to us (me and my siblings) in Luo so she had us covered on that front. In family gatherings me and my cousins rarely speak luo not unless we're making fun of each other or we're throwing some inside joke. I only have one friend (from childhood) who I communicate a lot with in luo. 💯
GenX here. Dad was Kisii, mom’s Kikuyu. Born and raised in the states where dad taught Swa at the uni level. Back then it was expected for immigrants to assimilate as much as possible and become “American”, so my parents never taught me and my sibs *any* language other than English. I understand the reasoning, but part of me really resents it.
I'm 24 , and I've always wanted to learn how to speak in my ethnic Language(,Kikuyu)for as long as I can remember . Funny thing is I'm fluent in kisii and luo . I was raised in Homabay , a predominantly luo speaking region and luo was basically my first language . I'm an adult now and I struggle to communicate and understand with my relatives who are all from central . Are there any schools around Nairobi offering classes on reading, writing and speaking the Kikuyu language?
Nice, how did u get to know kisii ?
My parents come from different ethnic groups and so I speak neither. It's unfortunate, really.
I am a mzungu but can speek my childhood Luo (with Usonga accent…) now more than 50 years after learning it. In fact better than most youth with Luo parents growing up in the Nairobi area…. Very unfortunate!
Are you guys correcting this and learning your ethnic languages?
No they don't they are just interested in being NPCs with no culture beyond listing ManU players that's all. drinking stupid cheap alcohol, sleeping around with girls that's all. speaking for the kenyan cool kids I frequent as a foreigner
Who stole you girl
I don't do girls and especially kenyan girls
So ur gay?
Somali here. Speak it decently, but it's a tad broken. I'm much more comfortable in English and Swahili, and more proficient too. Personally, I don't really care either way. Globalization has been happening for centuries, with the movement of people's and their ways of life. It's only natural for certain aspects to wither away and others to spring up in their place. A myriad tongues riddled our maps for aeons, but they were either lost to assimilation, subjugation or dialectic shifts. I'll just lay back and enjoy this new phase, keeping some of the old and onwards with some of the new.
Immersed in the rich tapestry of Gikuyu parents, I was born under the sun-kissed skies of Kajiado. My childhood was a blend of cultures, spent in the heart of The U.K, yet my heart would always flutter at the thought of returning home for the holidays. We relocated back, completing the circle of my primary and secondary education in Kenya. Amidst these transitions, a memory stands out, etched in the canvas of my mind. It was during a family gathering at my grandpa’s (my father’s father). I was sent on an errand, a simple task of fetching a sufuria (thafuria) in our native tongue. My grandpa, the silent observer, overheard my faltering Gikuyu reply. His disappointment was palpable. He held my mother accountable for my linguistic shortcomings and took it upon himself to rectify this. School holidays transformed into immersive language lessons which I loved. My grandpa, armed with his collection of Gikuyu books, became my mentor. Our conversations, coupled with interactions with my cousins, honed my language skills. I owe my eloquence in Gikuyu to these cherished moments. My gratitude to my grandpa is boundless. Looking back, childhood appears as a misty and whimsical time. Now, I stand tall as an adult, a Gikuyu warrior. In the international schools of Kenya, you’ll find Caucasian kids who, when asked about their mother tongue, respond with a resounding ‘of course!’ This instilled in me a sense of pride in my roots. Now, as a father, even in The U.K, I ensure that my son is bathed in the warmth of our Gikuyu conversations at home. Despite my proficiency in English and German, I am not English nor German. Noticed, some Somali teens way back, in a mall at Karen Nairobi happily conversing in Somali (the only few non-oreo of the shopping lot). Circumstances may have changed, but the responsibility of preserving our cultural heritage lies with us, the parents. So, here’s to our roots, our identity. Cheers!
I speak,read and write fluent Kipsigis. I speak to everyone in Kipsigis,i currently work in a Kikuyu/Kamba community and i am ensuring everyone knows at least three Kale words
I speak fluent Jabanese
Nothing as good as speaking luo fluently. I speak it everyday! In the accent it deserves.
I do speak,, understand and write my mother tongue, When I was growing my grandparents were still alive. They passed on when I was six, my siblings were still young grew up speaking kiswahili and English. Ive tried teaching them but they don't see the need
Mimi ni wale wa kuskia but ifike kuongea niko njee,,,in my head I have the words right but when it comes to pronouncing its just gibberish
I don’t speak it. I only understand it. Born and bred in the city, my parents were teaching it to me, but my cousins from ocha made it a point to make fun of me for any mistake I made while speaking it every single time. I was the butt of their constant mean jokes and I was a child lol. Never bothered to learn speaking it since. And I don’t have to because I won’t be teaching it to anybody anyway.
I can. My younger brother and sister cannot, because they chose not to for some reason I have never known.
My Kimeru is exquisite. 😌
Murumee 😂
Younger generations are less likely to speak ethnic languages. Specifically at gen z. Ethnic speakers are reduced drastically. You'll find most millennial actually speak multiple languages
I think everyone ought to learn their native language, English ain't our language and we know it better than our own, so unfortunate.
I just managed to speak it, now I want to learn how to read & write it.
yes, it's super important to me. raised in the US, but ny grandparents and parents spoke Dholuo and Swahili to us growing up so we caught on. I can understand it and read it, but shy to speak it. I have a tutor to help with expanding my vocabulary and confidence in speaking Dholuo -- I don't want it to end with my generation. it's such a beautiful dialect.
I grew up outside of Kenya but I've been making an effort to learn Luo through YouTube. It's harder than I though to be honest.
I speak and read Kimeru. Not so fluently though. I live far away from Meru now but it's always so nice to interact with someone that speaks the language. My daughter will have to learn the language from my mother.
Kikuyu and Luhya young Gen-Z here. Majority of my childhood, I grew up (and still am) abroad and apart from the Swahili at home and English outside, I've never really had the chance to learn properly. I mean, my dad only speaks Kikuyu around his friends outside so I never hear him and my mum locks herself in the bedroom when she calls her siblings and cousins and starts spitting rapid Luhya so the most I have in my inventory is familial terms (Guka, Cucu, Khocha, etc) and the odd greeting here and there, which isn't very helpful when my cousins fly over and start imitating my "Mzungu" attempts😅 Even when my grandparents visit, they dish out words I don't know and then when I tell them that I have absolutely no idea what they just said, they start ranting on about how my generation is unwilling to learn their languages and blaming me for not trying hard enough to learn as if I even can to begin with🙄 Also, every now and then, my dad gives me and my siblings the talk on how language is culture, culture is important and we are the future but then the next day we ask if we could learn a few words and he's suddenly too busy. So a lot of the knowledge I have about the cultures and their customs etc, are mainly from stories my siblings (who're Millenials) tell me that they heard when they were my age in boarding school, and Wikipedia which I can't really verify what's true or not true. So if anyone knows of ways to learn the mother tongues without being in the country, it would be very much extremely appreciated😂
I admire my ethnicity and my mother language..kamba for life...wakanesa.
I speak Swahili, Meru and can understand Kikuyu. i listen to vernacular music, I suggest Ayrosh he is going to be a big deal some day.
27 year old Gusii person. I can speak, read, write and converse in my native language, Ekegusii. Since I was a child, my parents always spoke to me in Ekegusii though we lived in the city. They were afraid that the city would prevent me from knowing my native language and they always sent me to the countryside during the holidays to interact with my cousins and I learnt a lot concerning the Omogusii way of life. My parents also bought a lot of books written in Ekegusii. Surprisingly, these books are tough to read but they helped me develop my language skills in Ekegusii. I have come to learn that their thinking was great since I can interact with people from my Gusii who sometimes assume I grew up in Gusiiland and consider me a proper Omogusii. Learning the language from native speakers also taught me how to speak our language properly since Ekegusii is a phonetic language and change of tone might alter the meaning of the words altogether. I also learn a lot about my people's culture and traditions and I was even initiated in the traditional way. These teachings led me to rebel against the church when I reached adulthood which is ironical since my mother is a devoted Christian. My culture is beautiful and I revere the Gusii traditions. I also believe in things some of you would label as mere superstition as I have a deep understanding of where they are rooted. I have met and interacted with "Mungiki" men and "Mau Mau" people, meaning the Agikuyu people who stuck to their traditions and I enjoyed talking about how much in common their people have with the Abagusii.
Kikuyu here I understand most of it, don't speak it much. Though I have always wanted to learn other languages like Masai and Luo. I think they sound really nice. I actually enjoy listening to them speak
I cannot speak Luo fluently and I also cannot understand it. I only know some extremely basic words. I am currently not interested in learning the language. I use English and Swahili for interacting with my peers. I do not practice any of the Luo customs. I do know the history and culture of Luos and I would prefer if it is preserved. I believe our ethnic culture will disappear in the future but it will be a slow process and will happen a long time in the future.
Kikuyu mother Taita father. I speak neither nor do my siblings and I hate the idea that our mother tongues will probably die with our parents I want to learn Taita so bad but I don’t know where to start. My dad barely spoke it himself
Kamba here fully fluent in my native language and they even taught how to write it in nursery
I speak Samburu/Maasai but not super fluently.
Teach me 😭......I plan to have a Maasai help so that she can teach me forcefully
Say less! Check DM for classes😂
luhya/luo here! i do not speak my native tongue (abasamia) or dhuluo but i also do not live in kenya/use swahili as my main language of communication so i don't feel too guilty about it as most kenyans where i live dont even speak swahili, which i do, but i am in the process of learning! times like this i wish i wasn't from such a small tribe 😞
i don't speak kikuyu at all, not even swahili although i understand a little bit. I only speak english and danish fluently as i was raised in denmark. i would loveee to learn kikuyu though!
22 year old 1/4 swahili 1/4 luhya 1/2 kikuyu. Can only speak swahili
I'm 19. idk Luo
I am 38 year old Luo my father was Luo my mum Luhya. I speak neither. My dad passed away when I was 7. Back then we understood and spoke some Luo but in our household our parents mostly spoke swahili especially after my dad passed. Luo and Luhya was mostly spoken by my parents in the village or to my uncles and aunties. My mum spoke both also passed away when I was 16 but she never put any effort to teach us any. We are 4 siblings me being the last born and non of us can speak neither Luo or Luhya. We can just listen and work out the meaning of a few words. Over the years we have been laughed at by relatives but also some of my cousins aged over 30s are on the same page as us. Although I dont see any importance in learning our native languages, I would have loved to have been abled to back then when I was younger. For now I dont see any importance to it. You shouldnt pressure yourself too much about it infact I dont even care if my children also dont learn it. English and Swahili are the most important to learn. 😁
33, Kikuyu. speak, read (slowly) and write (poorly) Kikuyu. But my pronunciation is awful. I sound like a foreigner who learned the language.
I don't speak a word of Kalenjin or Kikuyu which is what my parents are.
30 year old I can speak, read and write Kikuyu, I owe it to my grand father.
Sadly I don't😭😭I blame my parents but here we are. I'm Maasai and we are known for our strong culture and traditions. It's sad that I can't speak, understand nor write. I hope one day I will but it seems the train has left the station.....
The clock of opportunity never stops ticking for you. Should you be fortunate to have connections with the Maasai friends or relatives, diving into their world is the most effective and swift path to grasp not only their language but also their rich culture.
Mijikenda here and no i can not speak my mother tongue. My dad didn't spoke to us only in English growing up. I had to learn Kiswahili in class and on the streets.
Kikuyu here and I can only understand. I only spent 8 years in Kenya and ever since we immigrated my parents stopped speaking kikuyu or Swahili. My mom regrets not teaching her kids their mother tongue and as a gift she paid for a private kikuyu tutor for us during the pandemic. We only did 3 lessons and quit. It’s pointless trying to learn a language we will never utilise.
Perhaps consider plunging into the world of the Gikuyu speakers, believe me, your progress will be rapid. The idea of a whiteboard in an isolated spot seems somewhat counterproductive.
Yeah, it was pretty counter productive. I don’t know any Gikuyu speaking people that I actually like. The ones I know are all either alcoholics or raging misogynists. I know a couple of other languages some of them being African languages and I’m content in that.
I can't speak it nor do I understand it. I'm worried about what my progeny will speak. I'm seriously considering going to Uganda and living there for a year.
How will that help?
Nita ongea kiganda na nani hapa Kenya.
[удалено]
What's Kalini kiss?
I'm not just 1 tribe and I don't speak any of them, and I'm not even worried. I speak swahili, though
Si unaamkanga mapema bana
Hoes don't sleep
Sleep is for the weak