Minority Language Maintenance in a Multilingual Setting: the Case of Gujarati in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This study endeavored to investigate the factors that have contributed to language maintenance among Gujarati speakers in Nairobi. The study was guided by three objectives which sought to identify the vitality factors that have contributed to maintenance of Gujarati in Nairobi; establish the speakers attitude towards Gujarati language, and lastly to investigate the language performance in the four language skills among the Gujarati in Nairobi. The study was guided by Giles et al (1977) ethnolinguistic vitality theory which provided a conceptual tool to analyze the factors affecting the vitality language. They proposed three variables which were status, demographic and institutional support. The target population was Gujarati community living in Nairobi. The data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. The findings were that the factors that have led to language maintenance among Gujarati speakers in Nairobi are home usage, geographical distribution (they mostly live in closed communities), marriage patterns, trade, positive attitude towards the language, and emotional attachment to the language as a sense of identity.