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Home » Africa and Middle East » Does Kenyans speak English?

Does Kenyans speak English?

December 14, 2021 by Bridget Gibson

The official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili. English is the language of big business, higher education and government.The standard spoken Swahili is usually considered the dialect of Zanzibar.

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Contents

How well do Kenyans speak English?

Kenya has been ranked position 18 out of 100 in a global standing of countries and regions in English proficiency, beating European, American and Asian countries.

What percentage of Kenya speaks English?

Currently voted the best answer.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language estimates English-speakers in Kenya to constitute 9 percent of the population of 25 million, or about 2.24 million people, while the BBC World Service estimates 3.4 million adult English speakers there.

What language do Kenyans speak?

Kenya, which has more than 40 indigenous languages (termed mother tongues), has two official languages, English and Kiswahili.Since all the subjects, with the exception of Kiswahili, are taught in English, Kenyan students learn English language while using the English language to learn the curriculum.

Do they learn English in Kenya?

As Kenyans generally use British English, vocabulary in Kenyan English is very similar to that of British English.

Does Kenya use British or American English?

Many different languages are spoken across the country as each population has its own dialect. The most common are Kikuyu, Dholuo and Kamba. Sheng, a Swahili-based slang mixed with English is widely spoken in Nairobi.

Is English spoken in Nairobi?

2021 rankings

2021 Rank Country 2021 Proficiency Band
109 Rwanda Very Low Proficiency
110 Democratic Republic of Congo Very Low Proficiency
111 South Sudan Very Low Proficiency
112 Yemen Very Low Proficiency
See also  How is South Africa doing economically?

Which country speaks worst English?

Although Kenya’s economy is the largest and most developed in eastern and central Africa, 36.1% (2015/2016) of its population lives below the international poverty line. This severe poverty is mainly caused by economic inequality, government corruption and health problems.

Is Kenya a poor country?

It is said that the British colonialists decided to give Kenyans Christian names as they could not pronounce our African names. This explanation sounds plausible given they did mispronounce Mt. Kirinyaga as Mt. Kenya.

Why do Kenyans have English names?

The rest of the languages spoken are mainly tribal languages belonging to the Bantu, Cushitic and Nilotic language families, but Arabic as well as several South Asian languages are also spoken by immigrants. The languages belonging to the Bantu branch of the Niger-Congo language family are the most dominant in Kenya.

Is Arabic spoken in Kenya?

Kenya: Ethnic groups and languages
Kenya, the lingua franca is Swahili.

Is Swahili spoken in Kenya?

Kenyan languages can divided into three language groups: Cushitic, Nilotic, and Bantu. The Cushitic languages are part of the Afro-Asiatic family, the Nilotic belong to the Nilo-Saharan language family and the Bantu are part of the Niger-Kordofanian family.

What are the 3 main languages spoken in Kenya?

How hard is it to learn? Swahili is said to be the easiest African language for an English speaker to learn. It’s one of the few sub-Saharan African languages that have no lexical tone, just like in English. It’s also much easier to read as you read out Swahili words just the way they are written.

See also  What is traditional Kenyan food?

Is Swahili hard to learn?

About 10% were estimated in 1971 to be speakers of Swahili as their mother tongue. Apart from these indigenous languages, there is one very important foreign language, English. Although Tanzania is often characterized as English-speaking, a very small percentage of the population speaks English.

Does Tanzania speak English?

The 7 best countries to teach English as a foreign language

  • United Arab Emirates.
  • South Korea.
  • Japan.
  • China and Taiwan.
  • Costa Rica.
  • Colombia.
  • Czech Republic.

What countries teach English as a second language?

The most common greeting among those who speak Swahili is ‘Hujambo’ (‘Hello’) or the more colloquial greeting of ‘Jambo’. Both greetings can be responded with the phrase ‘sijambo’, which means ‘I am well’. Other common greetings in contemporary Kenya include ‘sasa’ or ‘Mambo’.

How do u say hello in Kenya?

Although originally written with the Arabic script, Swahili is now written in a Latin alphabet introduced by Christian missionaries and colonial administrators.

Is Swahili a written language?

It’s a national language in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and an official language of the East African Community which comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Its use is spreading to southern, western and northern Africa.

What countries speak Swahili?

Amharic

What language does Ethiopia speak?

Under the constitution, all Ethiopian languages enjoy official state recognition. However, Amharic is the “working language” of the federal government; together with Oromo, it is one of the two most widely spoken languages in the country.

What is Kenya known for?

Kenya is known for the Big Five and the Great Wildebeest Migration. It’s also known for its world record-breaking athletes, its rich biodiversity, and great safari destinations. Kenya is known for being home to Lupita Nyong’o and Barrack Obama Snr. The most famous foods in Kenya are Nyama Choma and Githeri.

Filed Under: Africa and Middle East

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About Bridget Gibson

Bridget Gibson loves to explore the world. A wanderlust spirit, Bridget has journeyed to far-off places and experienced different cultures. She is always on the lookout for her next adventure, and she loves nothing more than discovering something new about life.

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