An Investigation of Language Maintenance Strategies Among the Maragoli Youth of Uriri Subcounty, Kenya

Abstract

Uriri Sub County has a complex language ecology composed of Dholuo, Kuria, EkeGusii, Somali, Luhya dialects, among other languages. Some of these languages have been in contact for many years. It has been imperative that every community maintains their own language. Language maintenance is an integral part of any language survival, as espoused by UNESCO and ACALAN. UNESCO has extensively researched on language death, attrition and shift and reported that many indigenous languages across the globe are dying due to shift and disuse by the speakers, a situation that has been rendered dire. UNESCO has been of the opinion that every effort must be put in place, theoretically and in practice, to save dying languages and to maintain those that are surviving. Lullogoli, a dialect of Luhya, has been in contact with Dholuo for over 78 years and still shows signs of survival despite the fact that it has fewer speakers in Uriri Sub County compared to Dholuo. In an attempt to fulfil the UNESCO and ACALAN mandate, this paper investigated language maintenance strategies employed by the minority Maragoli youth living in Uriri Sub County, Kenya. Our data was collected using questionnaires, interviews and observations. Our findings shows that the Maragoli youth in Uriri Sub County have been using strategies like speaking Lullogoli at home, listening to Lullogoli radio broadcasts, learning from parents and guardians at home among other strategies to keep alive their language