An Examination of Efficiency of the Efforts on Revitalization Of Suba Language of Kenya

Abstract

In nearly every part of the world, languages in contact with others are shifting and disappearing. When languages shrink and finally die, their paren~ cultures risk devastation, the worldview that they represent gets restricted, the identity of their speakers is eroded, and linguistic diversity as a resource silently goes to waste. In Africa,the problem of language decline is pressing, given the plurilingual nature of the continent. Likewise, the need to safeguard endangered languages has also been growing throughout the world. Through revitalization programmes, for instance, a number of shrinking languages are back in active use. Nevertheless, such intervention programmesmay succeed or fail depending on a range of factors. Taking Kenya as a case,there have been efforts to revitalize Suba, the language of the Suba. After years of contactwith their Luo neighbours, the Suba are reported to have given up their mother tonguein favour of Luo, the language of the Luo. Revitalization efforts (- dimensions, approaches,activities, and strategies) put in place towards Suba revival by the Kenya government and the community itself were examined in this study to determine whether or not they have been successful at reversing the decline of Suba use. To that end, the study sought to examine, using existing metrics of assessment of language vitalityor endangerment, the extent to which the Suba language project is reversing the shift from Suba to Luo. Data for the study was gathered by means of observation and interview schedules. For the discussion and the analysis, the study primarily utilized the parameters of assessment of language vitality an~ endangerment proposed by UNESCO(2003)[butalso separately detailed in Grenoble and Whaley,2006; Hinton and Hale,2001;Crystal, 2000;Yamamoto, 1998;Landweer,1998; Fishman,1991; and Bourhis et al,1981]to gauge the revival initiative as well as report on the current state of Suba. The study especially applied the frameworks of Ethnolinguistic Vitality by Giles and .Byrne,the Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale by Fishman, and the Ecology of Languageapproach propounded by Haugen in guiding the review and the analysis. Among other things, the study found evidence that Suba use within the Suba communityis still limited, the revitalization programme notwithstanding. It is hoped that the study provides information about how the Suba project was approached, what strategiesappear to have worked, what did not, and what could be done to make the programme more effective. Most importantly, the findings of the study would be helpfulin the formation of appropriate support measures for language maintenance or revitalizationelsewhere in Africa or even on a global scale. v