Language Hybridity and Cultural Identity in Contemporary Kenyan Urban Literature A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Nairobi's Multilingual Literary Landscape
Keywords:
language hybridity, Kenyan literature, code-switching, urban identity, sociolinguisticsAbstract
This study examines language hybridity and its relationship to cultural identity construction in contemporary Kenyan urban literature, focusing on how Nairobi-based writers employ code-switching, translanguaging, and multilingual practices to negotiate complex identities within postcolonial contexts. Analyzing a corpus of 25 contemporary literary works published between 2010-2023 by Nairobi writers, alongside interviews with 15 authors and sociolinguistic observations of Nairobi's linguistic ecology, this research investigates patterns of language mixing involving English, Kiswahili, Sheng, and various indigenous languages. Findings reveal that linguistic hybridity serves multiple functions including authentic representation of urban multilingual realities, resistance to colonial linguistic hierarchies, construction of cosmopolitan identities, and negotiation of local-global tensions. Authors strategically deploy code-switching to index social identities, establish solidarity with diverse audiences, and challenge monolingual literary conventions. However, tensions emerge regarding accessibility, marketability, and authenticity, with debates about whether hybrid language practices empower or exclude readers. This research contributes to African literary studies and sociolinguistics by documenting how language choices reflect and shape contemporary Kenyan urban identities while challenging Western literary norms privileging monolingualism.
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