Lnaguage

Muthoni

Kenyatta University

English and Linguistics

Communication is an integral element of human social activities. Through communication diverse communities integrates and equally share various social, religious, economic and administrative aspects. Hence through word communities tend to share emblematic thoughts which lead to basic commonness. In this way we note how the essence of language whether oral or symbolic carries diversified elements which belongs to no specific community. A good illustration of this facet regards the indigenous Kenyan languages, majority of the lexicon employed do not per se belong to any specific ethnic community rather they are borrowed resulting in a systematic resemblance (Horowitz, 1985). Since majority of Kenyan indigenous languages are classified or have their roots in Central Africa region which is predominantly inhabited Bantus, they have definite resemblance which sets them apart. Where compared to other exotic languages such as English and French, we note that the disparity is high as compared to the extent of the indigenous languages. Note that the Bantus who are the majority ethnic configuration in Kenya have more similarity in language. Though using different syntax, phonology, as well as lexicon the resemblance is more of borrowing than genetic inheritance. exploring this dynamic it would be apposite to examine the attribute of some of these indigenous languages, for instance, Agikuyu, Aembu, Ameru and Akamba tend to share common lingua borderlines, but when the context of the lexicon is examined the differences or similarities are as a result of heavy borrowing making the usage of the borrowed content to set them apart. The same aspect is present among the Ma(a) speakers; the complexity of Ma(a) speakers is illustrated by the unique and structured using of almost similar phonology and syntax, yet the underlying lexicon is purely different, and this is prevalent among the Maasai but rare...