Abstract/Overview The phrase is an important unit of analysis in the grammar of languages. Other than the syntactic level, the phrase is also studied at the phonological, morphological, semantic and pragmatic level. The literature on the phrase in English identifies different types of syntactic phrases thus, noun phrase, verb phrase, adjectival phrase, adverb phrase, prepositional phrase (Aitchison, 1992; Aronoff & Reese-Miller, 2006; Crystal, 2010; Fromkin & Hyams, 2010; Lyons, 1992; O'G...
Abstract/Overview Nasal Consonant (NC) sequences, in Bantu languages, and the long vowels preceding them remains a puzzle in Bantu literature and research. This paper provides a descriptively oriented analysis of the relationship between long vowels and nasal consonant sequences in Kisa, a dialect of Luhya, a Bantu language spoken in Khwisero Constituency Western Province, Kenya. The data used in this paper was generated by the author as a native speaker of Kisa. The central descriptive f...
Abstract/Overview Academic writing is pertinent to postgraduate students because it is mandatory for them to write a research thesis as part of their degree programme. However, sometimes the theses that postgraduate students write do not communicate well or depict their professionalism. One of the problems these students face, as they write, is appropriate use of discourse markers. Discourse markers, when used appropriately, enhance coherence and signal the presence of particular relation...
Abstract/Overview The role of local government institution and especially institutional structures and political culture often shape government performance including livelihood supporting activities such as Urban Agriculture (UA). The changing population pattern orchestrated by the spread of urbanization has resulted into a rise in poverty and food demand, necessitating UA. However, there seem to be limited documentation with regard to how local governance institutions influence and promo...
Abstract/Overview One of the development agenda for Kenya is the achievement of universal healthcare. An assessment of the level at which this has been implemented reveals that Kenya is facing challenges in implementing this endeavor. Health professionals communicate with patients to build trust for more effective practice. Failure to communicate strains the relationship, leading to ineffective practice. One of the main obstacles that may lead to failure in communication is differences in...
Abstract/Overview The purpose of this sociolinguistic study was to investigate the effect of revitalization of indigenous language on preservation of African culture, a case of Terik language in Terik ward, Nandi south sub county, Terik Language is an indigenous language in Kenya that is spoken by Terik people of Nandi South, Terik language is seriously endangered and it’s at a risk of extinction thus endangering Terik culture. The study aimed to determine the evidence and nature of Ter...
Abstract/Overview This paper aims to evaluate the uses and significance of speech acts in Maragret Ogola’s two novels; The River and the Source (1994) and I swear by Apollo (2002). The researcher uses Austin (1962) and Searle 1969 Speech Act Theory. The findings shows that every utterance produced by a character in the novels could be categorized under one of the five major categories of speech acts proposed by Searle (1969). The study reveals that each major speech act contains a wide ...
Abstract/Overview Receptionists who work in government health facilities in Kenya are part of large state funded ministry, the Ministry of Medical Services. Their counterparts who work in private hospitals fall under the hospital management, the human resource department. Private hospitals in Kenya are represented by the Kenya healthcare federation. Their (receptionists) duties include registering patients, arranging appointments for them and checking them for consultations as well as adm...
Abstract/Overview The paper examines English and Kiswahili Code-switching (CS) in Kiss Fm and Easy Fm radio stations in Kenya.CS is a recently formed practice in Fm stations in Kenya. Liberalization of the air waves led to a shift in the language of broadcasting among the Fm anchors unlike the previous years when broadcasters used English exclusively .The new stations started switching language during their shows. Since then, several Fm stations have adopted CS during their programmes to ...
Abstract/Overview For long, it has been believed that song of abuse, as it has come to be called, is a preserve of west African communities. Early inroads into this oral subgenre were made by scholars who, more often than not, hailed from Ghana and Nigeria. A false impression of its locus was created to the effect that it was region-specific. This paper is an attempt to illustrate the pervasiveness of this verbal art, in disguised forms among the Swahili of East African. Drawing illustrat...
Abstract/Overview This article examines the portrayal of the absent father-figure in African American autobiographies. In particular, the article discusses how Obama relies on memories and reflections to prop the image of his absent father in his autobiography, Dreams from my father. The article adopted an analytical research design. Content analysis was used to generate data. The data was then coded and analyzed according to the modes of characterization. Tenets of postcolonial and psych...
Abstract/Overview This paper explores the portrayal of co-wife bonding and its impact in polygamy in Sue Nyathi’s The Polygamist (2012) and Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (2010) (hereafter referred to as Polygamist and Secret Lives respectively). The identity of women in polygamy, particularly that of the junior wife, often has a sense of inadequacy and inferiority. This often results into unending jealousies and co-wife rivalries. However, this paper argues t...
Abstract/Overview Knowledge acquisition is facilitated through communication and communication occurs through language. However, in individuals with communication impairments, effective communication is adversely tempered with. This implies that communication impairments would affect knowledge acquisition. The question, however, is how this happens? Little effort has been made to answer this question, as revealed by the literature. In the quest to establish the effects of communication im...
Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Lutsotso consonants on pronunciation of selected English consonants among Form One Students, learning English as a second language (ESL), in Lurambi Sub-County, Kakamega County, Kenya. The selected English language consonant sounds were: plosives /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, fricatives /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/ and affricates /t∫/, /ʤ/ only. The objectives of the study were to examine the influence of the Lutsotso consonants o...
Abstract The media's diplomatic function has been studied in relation to the advancedcommunication technologies that have led to the allocation of a more far-reaching roleto the media in the conduct of diplomacy.The main research gap that this study aims at covering lies in the actual media diplomacy influence on the foreign policy decision making process. Despite the attention given to the media's potential to affectforeign policy decisions, their involvement is still confined to a largely ...