Monday I got the privilege of teaching a lesson about HIV/AIDS and STIs at the training of a group of new CHWs (Community Health Workers). The class went really well, and it was a chance to practice one of the undiscussed, and personally disliked, “skills” known as the “Kenyan English Voice”.
I absolutely haaaaaaaaaate utilizing my “Kenyan English” voice. I feel like I am being pretentious and speaking down to the Kenyan I am communicating with. However, without using it in some form most Kenyans are less than able to understand what I am saying in my regular Californian accent.
Now, everyone has their own form of the “Kenyan English Voice” but there are some pretty universal traits that one must use for effective communication in English. These include; lengthening of vowels (particularly ‘u’ and ‘o’), the disuse of contractions, and a hard pronunciation of ‘t’s. My personal flavor is these key traits with while adding a light British lilt and a staccato-ish rhythm tends to aid almost perfectly the ability to understand what I am trying to communicate.
When it comes to understanding what’s being said to me, sometimes I get completely lost. Mostly because in KiKuyu 'r's are pronounced as 'l's, 'b's as 'f's, and 'c's as 'sh'.
On the plus side I got complemented by a mama that I had the best English she had ever heard from a Mzungu... something about not "sounding all scruntched up in the nose"... which totally make sense why children "talk" all nasally or plug their noses to say "How are you" as I walk by... Still sounds like their making fun of me =(
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