Engsh is a
cant
Cant, CANT, canting, or canted may refer to:
Language
* Cant (language), a secret language
* Beurla Reagaird, a language of the Scottish Highland Travellers
* Scottish Cant, a language of the Scottish Lowland Travellers
* Shelta or the Cant, a la ...
that originated in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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in the 1980s.
While
Sheng developed in the poorer parts of Nairobi, Engsh evolved among the youth of the richer, more affluent neighbourhoods. Engsh is English based, but mixes Swahili, and other ethnic languages such as
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
*Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Centr ...
and
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
. However, just like Sheng, it is a code, and therefore cannot be understood, for the most part, by standard English speakers. Both Engsh and Sheng originated as secret codes against adults, to enable Nairobi youth to communicate with each other in a language the adults could not understand. The original speakers have since become adults, and parents. Both Engsh and Sheng evolve very fast, and the ability to keep up with the "in" words of the moment becomes harder the older a person gets, therefore they are still considered languages of the youth.
In the past, there was no distinction made between Sheng and Engsh, but the youth speakers of both languages noticed their inability to understand each other properly, as the languages had evolved differently primarily due to the different economic backgrounds. Nevertheless, there are still many similarities between Sheng and Engsh, but Engsh is unique enough to stand as a cant of its own.
See also
*
Kenyan English
References
External links
Articlein the International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Volume 125, Issue 1 (Jan 1997).
Prezi presentation 'Is It Sheng or Engsh? The ignored variety is alive and clicking'. Radboud University, October 2013.
Swahili-based pidgins and creoles
Languages of Kenya
Cant languages
English-based argots
Macaronic forms of English
Languages attested from the 1980s
African Urban Youth Languages
{{Pidgincreole-lang-stub