Sheng slang

Nairobi urban-based youth slang

Sheng

Kenyan Pidgin
Kenyan Creole
Native to| Kenya

Native speakers

| none
L2:1,000,000

Language family

Swahili–English mix

Writing system

| Latin
Official status
Regulated by| not regulated
Language codes
ISO 639-3| –

Sheng is primarily a Swahili and English-based cant, slang, perhaps a mixed language or creole, originating among the urban youth of Nairobi, Kenya, and influenced by many of the languages spoken there. While primarily a language of urban youths, it has spread across social classes and geographically to neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda. It is a language variety spoken as a lingua franca across Kenya. For many years, it has been used on school playgrounds and campuses and in political campaigns, and today it is forcing its way into spoken media. Sheng expressions are neither standardised nor taught in any formal establishments, but rather function in daily discourse, usually in informal settings. Kenyan speakers regularly mix several slang in their conversations regardless of origin, but depending on the audience and the familiarity level with the listeners. Sheng unites the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each other. English and Swahili are Kenya's official languages, and Sheng, despite its common use throughout the country, has no official status.

## Etymology and history

[edit]

The word "Sheng" is coined from the two languages that it is mainly derived from: Swahili and English. The "h" was included from the middle of "Swahili" because "Seng" would have sounded unusual. The term is first recorded in 1965.[1]

Originating in the early 1950s in the Eastlands area of Nairobi (variously described as a "slum", "ghetto" or "suburb"), Sheng is now heard among matatu drivers/touts across the region, and in the popular media. Most of the Sheng words are introduced in various communities and schools and given wide exposure by music artists who include them in their lyrics, hence the rapid growth. It can be assumed to be the first language of many Kenyans in urban areas.

Like all slang, Sheng is mainly used by the youth and is part of popular culture in Kenya. It also evolves rapidly, as words are moved into and out of slang use. It found broad usage among hip hop artists such as Kalamashaka and G.rongi in the African Great Lakes region in the '90s, both mainstream and "underground" (whose music helped spread the language and contribute to rapid changes or shifts in Sheng vocabulary), as well as among virtually all university and secondary-school students, the language was not always associated with people who cannot do much for the society until when the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation noted the rise in both class and diversity. Radio presenters John Karani, Jeff Mwangemi and Prince Otach, and many more, took it to the mainstream by presenting the first radio shows using Sheng phrases on the national broadcast. By 2010 almost every media show had some sort of sheng in it.

Although the grammar, syntax, and much of the vocabulary are drawn from Swahili, Sheng borrows from the languages of some of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya, including Luhya, Gĩkũyũ, Luo and Kamba. Words are also borrowed from languages that are neither a local language nor English – such as the Sheng word morgen "morning" – a Sheng word used in some areas with a similar meaning in German.

Sheng vocabulary can vary significantly within Kenya's various subdivisions and the larger African Great Lakes region, and even between neighbourhoods in Nairobi. Many youth living in the capital often use the argot as their everyday mode of communication rather than Swahili or English.

Many Gen Z and Millennials easily adapt to other variants of Sheng like Shembeteng, Shengilo and Shengtezo.

The use of social media platforms like TikTok have contributed to the growth of Sheng.[2][3]

## Sheng in literature

[edit]

The written use of Sheng in literature is still a minor phenomenon. Some poems in the African literary magazine Kwani? have been published in Sheng, and the first book in this language is "Lafudhi hip hop poetry in Sheng" (2015), written by G.rongi.

## Sample vocabulary

[edit]

Sheng  | English (definition)

|

kinda | sell
rodhi | trouser
dunga | wear
ngasha | shower
kugura | to leave, to vacate premises
denki | go for long call
idha | time
mnati, ras | Rastafarian
babi, barbie | person who doesn't speak Sheng, person from a wealthy background
Ngori, noma | trouble
bonga (bong-gah), Roroa, zoza, banja, tema | talk
bonga mavi | talk smack
kukafunga | get rich
para | family
digaga | spectacle
sepa | go away, flee
setoka | represent
mbwakni | jumpy
peremba | interrogate
dai | want, view
dungia (doong-gi-ah), gawia, chapia, vutia | hit up (call someone)
apantambua | no respect to that (don't recognize that)
riba, zabe | story
serereka | have fun
dema, dimbua | eat
pack, stick | live (somewhere)
ndeng'a, thwau, bunde, mchuma, mtoo, ridhe, fee, toka | gun, firearm
keroma, demo | food
chapaa, munde, mundez, niado, ganji, doe, keroma, cheddar/chedaz, dau, mkwanja, makwarkwar, cheng | money
so, kioo, exsoo, red, os | one hundred shillings
vioo | hundrends
finje, chuani, pachas, hamusini, nich | fifty shillings
mbao, blue, mbalu | twenty shillings
ashuu, shoe, kindee, ikongo, das, teja | ten shillings
wai | buy
ngovo, kobole, guoko | five shillings
rwabe, doso, jill | two hundred shillings
punch, jirongo | five hundred shillings
thao, jii (like the letter G), kapaa, ngiri, ngwanye, ndovu, azar, K, muti, bramba | one thousand shillings
fala, mwere (mweh-reh), dwanzi, zuzu | stupid person, idiot
ocha, moshatha, shaggz | up country, rural home/area
liet, noma, niku hatata, wa gwan | in a mess, trouble
Conte | Tough person
Oposh, momo, fatso, bazu | Fat person
1 GB | Skinny person
njeve | cold
ingiza njeve, gwaya, buya | get scared, be afraid, chicken out
Kanjo | city/town council officer
chapo | chapati
ngodha | underpants
msee, mzing' kizee, mdhii, mguys, mzeiya, mtunguyaz, mzaee, morio | guy, dude
dame, mresh, supuu, msupa, manzi, shore (sho-reh; from "shawty"), msusu, mroro, mshee, totoh, yeng, mdenge, nyegz, ngus | girl, chick
buda, mzae, arinzu, mzing | father
gweng, gwan | hard (difficult)
zii, nada, do, nah | no
mathree, mat, jive, jav, buu, nganya | matatu
ngwai, Tire (Tea-Reh), kithuke, vela, ndom, aroma, shashi, kenti, mashashola, kindukulu, shada | bhang, marijuana
msudi | traitor, snitch
deree, kigonyi, vandere | driver
konkodi, makanga, manumber, donda | bus/matatu conductor
fegi, mozo, ngale, fuaka | cigarette
mzae | male parent
karao, gova, sanse, beast, afande, gova | police
keja, hao, mbanyu, base, digs, guba, ndaki | house, home
matha, mathe, mthama, masa, mondhres | woman, mother
mboch, chinebo | housegirl (maid)
mbota, wochi | watch
mbwenya, jako, blazer | coat
dhafu, githafu,madhafu, mao | Mathematics
mdosi, sonko, sos, penki, donga, bombay, bola, Okwonkwo, dela | Rich person
msoto, mbleina, sufferer, hustler | poor person
sota, kauka, chupri | go bankrupt/become poor
bie, B.A | good
mzing, fathe, mbuyu, buda, arinzu, | dad
masa, mathe, mnyaka, mokoro, moda, mthama, mondhres | mum
oga | an individual from Nigeria
ndauo | an individual with

Maasai descent

mngoso | an individual with English descent
Mchinku | an individual with Chinese descent
Gaki | an individual belonging to Kisii community
msapere, mkiuk, okuyu | an individual belonging to Kenya's Kikuyu ethnic community or generally Bantu
Mkao, mcambodia, mnduli | an individual belonging to Kenya's Kamba ethnic community
mjaka, mjaze, mjaksus | an individual belonging to Kenya's Luo ethnic community
mgirish | an individual belonging to Kenya's Giriama people ethnic community
mlunje | an individual belonging to Kenya's Luhya ethnic community
mkale | an individual belonging to Kenya's Kalenjin ethnic community
Arges, walalo, oria | an individual belonging to Kenya's Somali ethnic community
Kasee | a male person from the Kamba ethnic community of Kenya
Baite(pronounced vaite) | a male person from the Meru ethnic community of Kenya
Muraa | a male person from the Kuria ethnic community of Kenya
nare (nah-reh) | fire, matches
ndai, moti, murenga, dinga | car
ngata (ng-gah-tah), ngede (ng-geh-deh), irori | fuel
nguenos, ngwex, mwewe, ngwetes, ngokos | chicken
rodhi | trouser
njumu, njuti, ndula, magwanda, manduleng', chuja | shoes
poa, wazi, wabe, fiti, chonjo | cool
ubao, maunenge, kidale | hunger
mboka | city
uaganis | nonsense
veve, mbachu, shamba, mogoka, jaba | miraa
kuber (koo-beh-r), kubz, doze, mungich, mungiki | (chewing) tobacco
mburungo | cargo
chapa, donje, kiatu, forbes, kiraka, kubeat | ugly
fyat | crazy
Teo | Exams
chipo, chibaz, njiva, vanga | chips
fika, ishia, jikata, sepa | to go somewhere
kirindi, mbogi | crowd
earthwire | neck tie
nyonde | bird
dush | dove/pigeon
mavi, mafi, shonde, shoi, shoste | faeces
shower | bath
mode (moh-day), odijo | teacher
mboka, mtaa | city, town, streets, neighbourhood
chuom | pathway/shortcut
omoka, kukafunga, | be rich
mzii/noma | tough/bad
majuu, mayolo, chambele, farova | Western world/overseas
mlami, myuro | white person, Caucasian person
mtiaji, msororaji, mrazi | a cunning person, tattletale
kauzi, thegi, gondi, dingo, obe (ob), gwangi | thief, thug, mugger, burglar
masaa, githaa | time
mshikaji, bf, gf | boyfriend/girlfriend
pasuka, raruka | laugh
karokota, doze, kufinyilia, kutuna | take a nap, sleep
nyaku, waka, washa, gwezere, malaga, | drink (alcohol)
kalesa, pace, tembeza | walk a distance
tei | alcohol
tenje, mtambo | Radio/ music system or a phone
Nangos, digitz | Number
N.B. Words in brackets in the Sheng column show how the word is pronounced.

### Examples

[edit]

Sheng  | Standard Kiswahili (translation)  | Standard English (translation)

|
|

Umekemba gazo, radar ni fom zimekalas hadi msoto imeramba mayenx viudu. | Imechapishwa magazetini ya kwamba ukosefu Wa kazi imeathiri vijana kiafya ya akili | The newspapers asserts that joblessness has affected the youth's mental health.
Shosh yake alimtobokea vioo nei za guba | "Nyanya yake alimpa mia nne alipie kodi ya nyumba | Her mother gave her four hundred dollars to pay rent.
Uyo Arif ako na za ovyo | Huyo rafiki yako anapenda mzaha. | Your friend likes jokes!
Sepa hii daro juu odijo akimuok, kutatee! | Toka humu darasani maana mwalimu akija atakuadhibu!. | Flee from this class because when the teacher comes you'll be punished!
Gura hiyo chuom, madingo watakuchai.! | Koma kupita hiyo njia wezi wapo hapo, watakuibia | Avoid that path it's laden with thugs who'll steal from you.!
Tangu Kama akanjwe anajiskia skari, sana! | Kama alipo pata pesa, alianza kuringa | After receiving some money Kama became boastful!
Amulia hata dhenga ya nich nijipin, niko kidale, mzing! | Ninunulie githeri ya hamsini tafadhali nile nina njaa | Could you spot me fifty shillings to buy a meal? (a specific meal of boiled maize and beans is mentioned but the actual meaning is the price of what is considered the cheapest item in a food kiosk)
Huu msee ni fala! | Huyu mtu ni mjinga. | This guy's an idiot!
Si unidungie chuani? | Unaeza nipa shilingi hamsini? | Can you please give me fifty shillings?
Acha kubonga mavi mdhii. | Acha kuongea vibaya, kaka. | Stop talking smack, brother.
Udingo ndio maana magidha ako ndani, riba ni alichai Doo ya gova | Ufisadi ndio chanzo ya kushtakiwa kwake, mda wote yupo kizimbani Kwa mashtaka ya wizi wa pesa za serikali | Corruption is the main reason he is in and out of the courts for allegations of embezzlement of government's money"
Ukivuta fegi utajiletea noma. | Ukivuta sigara utajiletea shida. | If you smoke cigarettes you'll get yourself in trouble.
Ule dame amechapa! | Yule msichana ana sura mbaya. | That girl is ugly!
Maisha ni gwan bana. | Maisha ni ngumu kaka. | Life is hard man.
Kuja utugawie hizi njiva. | Kuja utugawie hivi vibanzi. | Come and share your fries with us.
Budake alishikwa na makarao. | Babake alikamatwa na polisi. | His dad was caught by the police.
Aliibiwa mbota na mboch. | Aliibiwa saa na mjakazi. | His watch was stolen by his housegirl.
Aliona magondi akaingiza njeve. | Aliona mhuni akahisi woga. | He got scared when he saw some thugs.
Niko mbioni.  | Niko na haraka.  | I am in a hurry.
Budake ni mzii. | Babake ni mkali. | His father is tough/bad.
Walibambwa Na masanse, wakikwaria gova kuchocha. | Walitiwa kizimbani baada ya kulalamikia bei ya vitu kupanda.  | They were arrested after protesting the rising cost of basic commodities.
Mokoro aliniwai rwabe nikamchekie ka kwota. | Mamangu alinipa shilingi mia mbili nikamnunulie kilo nusu ya nyama. | My mother gave me 200 shillings to go buy a quarter kilogram of meat.
Alirauka ngware ndo asihate mat za kwenda kwao moshatha. | Aliamka mapema ili asikose matatu ya kuenda kwao kijijini. | He woke up early so as not to miss a matatu to his rural home.

## See also

[edit]

* Engsh
* Kenyan English

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lambert, James. 2018. A multitude of 'lishes': The nomenclature of hybridity. English World-wide, 39(1): 13. doi:10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam
2. ^ Business, The Standard. "Sheng affecting English, Kiswahili performance". The Standard. Retrieved 9 June 2023. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
3. ^ ODUOR, AUGUSTINE (2014). "Sheng not to blame for drop in KCSE English performance, scholars claim". The Standard. Retrieved 9 June 2023.

## Additional literature

[edit]

* Abdulaziz, Mohamed H. and Ken Osinde. 1997. Sheng and Engsh: development of mixed codes among the urban youth in Kenya. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 125 (Sociolinguistic Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa), pp. 45–63.
* Barasa, Sandra Nekesa, and Maarten Mous. "Engsh, a Kenyan middle class youth language parallel to Sheng." Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 32, no. 1 (2017): 48-74.
* Beck, Rose Marie. 2015. "Sheng: an urban variety of Swahili in Kenya." Youth Language Practices in Africa and Beyond, Nico Nassenstein and Andrea Hollington, (eds.) 51–79. Berlin: de Gruyter.
* Bosire, Mokaya. 2009. What makes a Sheng word unique? Lexical manipulation in mixed languages. In AkinloyeOjo & Lioba Moshi (Eds), Selected Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, 77–85.
* Bosire, Mokaya. 2006. Hybrid languages: The case of Sheng. In Olaoba F. Arasanyin & Michael A.Pemberton (Eds). Selected Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, 185–193.
* Erastus, Fridah Kanana, and Ellen Hurst–Harosh. Rural and urban metaphors in Sheng (Kenya) and Tsotsitaal (South Africa). Göttingen: Cuvillier, 2019.
* Fee, D., & Moga, J. 1997. Sheng dictionary.Third edition. Nairobi: Ginseng Publishers.
* Fink, Teresa Kathleen. 2005. Attitudes toward languages in Nairobi. Diss. University of Pittsburgh.
* Githinji, Peter. 2005. Sheng and variation: The construction and negotiation of layered identities. PhD dissertation, Michigan State University.
* Githinji, Peter. 2006. Bazes and Their Shibboleths: Lexical Variation and Sheng Speakers' Identity in Nairobi. Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(4): 443–472.
* Githiora, Chege. 2002. Sheng: peer language, Swahili dialect or emerging Creole? Journal of African Cultural Studies Volume 15, Number 2, pp. 159–181.
* Githiora, Chege J. Sheng: rise of a Kenyan Swahili vernacular. Boydell & Brewer, 2018.
* Kanana Erastus, Fridah, and Hilda Kebeya. "Functions of urban and youth language in the new media: The case of Sheng in Kenya." African youth languages: New media, performing arts and sociolinguistic development (2018): 15-52.
* Kang’ethe-Iraki, Frederick. 2004. Cognitive Efficiency: The Sheng phenomenon in Kenya. Pragmatics 14(1): 55–68.
* Kariuki, Annah, Fridah Erastus Kanana, and Hildah Kebeya. "The growth and use of Sheng in advertisements in selected businesses in Kenya." Journal of African Cultural Studies 27, no. 2 (2015): 229-246.
* Kaviti, Lillian. "From Stigma to Status-Sheng and Engsh in Kenya's Linguistic and Literary Space." Matatu 46 (2015): 223ff.
* Kießling, Roland & Maarten Mous. 2004. Urban Youth Languages in Africa. Anthropological Linguistics 46(3): 303-341
* King'ei, Kitula, and John Kobia. "Lugha Kama Kitambulisho: Changamoto ya Sheng Nchini Kenya." Nordic Journal of African Studies 16, no. 3 (2007).
* Kioko, Eric. "Regional varieties and ‘ethnic’registers of Sheng." Youth language practices in Africa and beyond (2015): 119-148.
* Mazrui, Alamin. 1995. Slang and Codeswitching: The case of Sheng in Kenya. Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere 42: 168–179.
* Ogechi, Nathan Oyori. 2002. Trilingual Codeswitching in Kenya – Evidence from Ekegusii, Kiswahili, English and Sheng. Doctoral dissertation, Universität Hamburg.
* Momanyi, Clara. "The Effects of'Sheng'in the Teaching of Kiswahili in Kenyan Schools." Journal of Pan African Studies (2009).
* Mous, Maarten, and Sandra Barasa. "Kenya: Sheng and Engsh." In Urban Contact Dialects and Language Change, pp. 105–124. Routledge, 2022.
* Mutiga, Jayne. "Effects of language spread on a people’phenomenology: The case of Sheng’in Kenya." Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa 4, no. 1 (2013): 1-15.
* Ogechi, Nathan. 2005. On Lexicalization in Sheng. Nordic Journal of African Studies 14(3): 334–355.
* Samper, David. 2002. Talking Sheng: The role of a Hybrid Language in the Construction of Identity and Youth Culture in Nairobi Kenya. PhD Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.
* Spyropoulos, Mary. 1987. Sheng: some preliminary investigations into a recently emerged Nairobi street language. Journal of the Anthropological Society 18 (1): 125–136.
* Vierke, Clarissa. 2015. "Some remarks on poetic aspects of Sheng." Global Repertoires and Urban Fluidity. Youth Languages in Africa, Nico Nassenstein and Andrea Hollington, (eds.) 227–256. Berlin: de Gruyter.

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[edit]

* Sheng – Dictionary and Translator
* African Languages – Sheng – English–Sheng/Sheng–English lexicon

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