Language in Africa Volume 5, Number 2 (2024)

NAVIGATING MULTILINGUALISM: TRANSLATING LOCAL LANGUAGE POLICIES FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN KENYA Abstract: Language promotes inclusion, diversity, and equity within Kenyan communities. In a multilingual society like Kenya, local languages are essential for social cohesion, identity formation, and equal access to education and public services. However, indigenous languages remain underutilized, particularly in the formal education system, limiting their potential to foster cross-cultural communication and social integration. This paper explores the impact of local language policies on inclusion and equity, focusing on the challenges Dholuo translators face in interpreting English policy documents. Based on interviews with Education Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (EQASOs) from Homabay and Migori counties, alongside secondary data, the study examines how local language promotion can enhance social inclusion, career development, and equitable access to resources. The study analyzed the constitutional mandate in promoting Kenyan Indigenous languages and offered strategies to overcome language barriers in education and governance. ________________________________________ REFLECTIONS ON ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY IN MODERN SWAHILI PROSE Abstract: This study sets out to outline the reflection of two predominant religions of Eastern Africa – Islam and Christianity – in the works of modern (20th- and 21st-century) writers of Swahili expression. It must be noted that, although the theme of religion is rather notable in modern Swahili writing, the critical works devoted to the theme are lamentably scarce (among them, for example, articles by Sonja Mezger and Fuko Onoda mentioned below). This renders the study considerably relevant, since it is an attempt to start filling a notable gap in the scholarship of modern Swahili writing. Based on the comparative examination of the works of writers from Tanzania and Kenya, the study investigates, specifically, the writers’ views on the current relationship between the two religions and their prospective relations in the future. ADVERBS IN DABIDA: KEY ISSUES Abstract: The present paper investigates adverbs that constitute one of the major word classes in Dabida Bantu (E74a). Cross-linguistically, adverbs are uninflected lexemes that serve as a modifier of a verb, of an adjective or another adverb, and even of a sentence. This paper offers a descriptive analysis of the morphology, derivation, semantics, and syntactic behavior of the Dabida words of this category. In addition, the paper describes the derivational and functional features of spatial and temporal pronominal adverbs derived from the demonstrative and possessive pronouns in noun class 16 (locative) agreement. Multi-word adverbials are under description in the scope of this article, too.