Sheng
E773371
Sheng is an urban Kenyan slang language that blends Swahili, English, and various local languages, widely spoken in Nairobi’s informal settlements and youth culture.
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Kenyan cultural phenomenon
ⓘ
contact language ⓘ slang language ⓘ urban youth language ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Kenya NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalRole |
bridge between ethnic groups in Nairobi
ⓘ
marker of in-group membership among youth ⓘ symbol of urban Kenyan identity ⓘ |
| developedIn |
Nairobi estates such as Eastlands
ⓘ
late 20th century ⓘ |
| hasCharacteristic |
code-switching between Swahili and English
ⓘ
high lexical innovation ⓘ informal usage context ⓘ non-standardized grammar ⓘ rapid vocabulary change ⓘ strong youth identity marker ⓘ use of metaphor and wordplay ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
Ushago Sheng
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
estate-specific Sheng varieties ⓘ |
| influencedByLanguage |
English
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kamba NERFINISHED ⓘ Kikuyu NERFINISHED ⓘ Luhya NERFINISHED ⓘ Luo NERFINISHED ⓘ other Kenyan local languages ⓘ |
| influences |
Kenyan advertising language
ⓘ
Kenyan hip hop and gengetone lyrics ⓘ Kenyan popular culture ⓘ |
| languageFamily | mixed language ⓘ |
| mainLexifierLanguage | Swahili NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryCityOfUse | Nairobi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| regionOfUse |
Nairobi informal settlements
ⓘ
Nairobi metropolitan area NERFINISHED ⓘ urban Kenya ⓘ |
| spokenAlongside |
English
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Swahili NERFINISHED ⓘ local ethnic languages ⓘ |
| status |
informal language
ⓘ
not an official language of Kenya ⓘ |
| typicalScript | Latin script ⓘ |
| usedBy |
Kenyan popular musicians
ⓘ
Kenyan youth ⓘ matatu touts in Nairobi ⓘ street vendors in Nairobi ⓘ students in Kenyan schools ⓘ urban working-class communities ⓘ |
| usedInDomain |
Kenyan popular music
ⓘ
advertising targeting Kenyan youth ⓘ radio shows targeting youth ⓘ social media in Kenya ⓘ street communication ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.