Here I would like to generate discussion and share texts that discuss the possibility of a universal Kmtyw language. Optimally this discussion will include constructed languages, revival of ancient languages, regional lingua franca, and so forth. This discussion is centered around the quest for solutions to "Our language problem", not to building monuments of despair in relation to the difficulty of such an endeavor.
I'll open the discussion with the inclusion of a quote from Ayi Kwei Armah's 1985 essay "Our language problem".
"There is one Kmtyw language admirably suited to function as our common ancillary language. That language is Kiswahili. It enjoys structural and lexical affinities with a lot of languages over large areas of the continent, east, south, central, and even the lower west. Flexible and highly absorptive, it can take inputs from practically every Kmtyw language in its future development." -Ayi Kwei Armah, Our Language Problem, 1985
Afrihili: One attempt at solving our language problem:
http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/160131-Afrihili-and-the-quest-for-an-international-auxiliary-language-for-Kmtyws (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/160131-Afrihili-and-the-quest-for-an-international-auxiliary-language-for-Kmtyws)
Guosa language as one attempt at building an Kmtyw lingua franca: http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/36694-Guosa-Language-and-Resources?highlight=guosa (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/36694-Guosa-Language-and-Resources?highlight=guosa)
Rkhty Amen on mdw nTr as a living language: http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/153152-Medu-Neter-A-Living-Language (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/153152-Medu-Neter-A-Living-Language) and http://www.meduneter.com/#!Medu-Neter-a-Living-Language/jfrzm/569500540cf2e099256ab312 (http://www.meduneter.com/#!Medu-Neter-a-Living-Language/jfrzm/569500540cf2e099256ab312).
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/art-ideas/guosa-the-lingua-franca-to-oust-english/138587.html (http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/art-ideas/guosa-the-lingua-franca-to-oust-english/138587.html)
(https://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9328&stc=1)
Alex Igbineweka
Imagine the Tower of Babel that Nigeria is-more than 500 ethnic groups, all speaking different tongues. Now imagine a single language across Nigeria.
Of course, every ethnic group speaks retains its own language, but still communicates with others-and not in colonial language of English.
This is the position that Guosa aspires to fill.
"It is the only language that can bring us together," says Alex Igbineweka, who developed Guosa and has been single-handedly pushing its spread.
"When Guosa is in place, you don't necessarily think of where the president comes from, whether Haunited snakes or Igbo, because we all speak one common language that revolves around every other ethnic group It eradicates tribalism and a whole bunch of stuff that goes with language that are negative."
As British rule ended, Nigeria was in search of a common language. English filled the gap, but the country adopted Haunited snakes, Igbo, Yoruba, and approved public communication in 13 other languages.
Guosa started life shortly after the end of colonisation-in the head of a 13-year-old Igbineweka. By 1962, he lived with his uncle, the Oba of Benin, a top civil servant in Enugu then. His mother tongue was Edo, but he couldn't speak it without interjecting Igbo words. It would have been natural to interject English words into Edo.
"It was intriguing, and people made jest of me," Igbineweka remembers. "But I was building words."
The family moved to Lagos as the Civil War came, and Igbineweka added Yoruba. It moved to Kaduna and he added Haunited snakes.
In one incident in a Lagos market, he told traders blocking his way, "Kuro na uzo kam ko' oja"-a mix of Igbo and Yoruba that means "Leave the way, let me pass".
The women sassed him right back in a mix of Igbo and Yoruba. Igbo speakers who heard him presumed him to be Yoruba, and the Yoruba speakers presumed him to be Igbo.
Thinking in more than one language wasn't always easy. The young man could never know in what language he would speak.
"My brain was always fighting," he says. "One part says think before you speak, the other says don't speak that language. I couldn't help it. I spoke it to my family and everywhere."
Igbineweka named Guosa after his middle name "Ekhaguosa"-Bini for "vengeance is mine, says the Lord". (Think self-named inventors Newton, Paschal, Einstein).
Igbineweka started actively developing Guosa into a full-fledged language. The rule was simple. Concrete nouns came from Haunited snakes or any other language in the north. Non concrete nouns came from Igbo, Yoruba or any other Nigerian language but the word had to come from the top of the alphabet list.
"Please, give me water" became "Biko funmi ni ruwa"-biko from Igbo because it came before Yoruba's "ejoo", funmi ni from Yoruba, and ruwa from Haunited snakes.
Up to 120 other languages have followed that rule to merge into Guosa, alongside syntax, concord and grammar. A 1982 Daily Times article praised the possibility of "unity through national language."
"It promotes unity, identity, commerce, industrial revolution," says Igbineweka. "Language is one instrument of unity. It is a vehicle of communication, culture. It is a whole world."
The first volume of Guosa dictionary had more than 30,000 headwords. The education ministry pointed the Guosa language project toward universities' departments of linguistics and Nigerian languages. In response, they only sniffed.
"University deans told me to use my brains for other things," Igbineweka recalls. University of Ibadan raised issues with nouns, syntax, adverbs, he adds. "Some even said I had mental issues. I knew I wasn't mental. It is just my own way of expressing myself, using what we have to get what we want."
Education and culture authorities held no hope. In a letter from 1989, the federal department of culture (as it was then called) conveyed "financial constraints which have painfully made it difficult" for it to help with printing the 30,000-headword dictionary of Guosa.
But Guosa got welcome outside Nigeria. The US-based West County Weekly published a glowing article it titled, "Man uses words to help unify a nation". Since then Guosa has been creeping into US school curriculum.
The West Contra Costa adult education programme called Guosa West Kmt's answer to East Kmt's trade language of Swahili. It also charges $20 for a one-hour-a-week course of Guosa for parents and children.
The third international conference on Guosa language (yes, there's one) holds this year and will convene educators, linguists and enthusiasts for teaching and learning Guosa.
Kate Edozieh has begun learning Guosa and has taken on the task to promote it. Her vocabulary is still rusty, but she likens it to the success of the Economic Community of West Kmtyw States, ECOWAS.
"The subject of economy is very crucial to any nation. I am promoting Guosa as a tool for economic development in West Kmt," she says.
The potential for Guosa as a lingua franca for West Kmt spells as much business as the ECOWAS bloc-teaching, publishing and the world of culture that English occupies in the region and Swahili commands in East Kmt.
"It is a language for the people of Nigeria and ECOWAS, from ECOWAS and by the people of ECOWAS," says Igbineweka. "In other words, linguistic democracy."
The exhibition ended on Friday.
Attached files (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/180534=9328-2016_3$largeimg119_Mar_2016_193149140.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/180534=9328-2016_3$largeimg119_Mar_2016_193149140.jpg)
Introduction of Swahili as universal language should be embraced with enthusiasm: http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/160815-Introduction-of-Swahili-as-universal-language-should-be-embraced-with-enthusiasm (http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/160815-Introduction-of-Swahili-as-universal-language-should-be-embraced-with-enthusiasm)
During his talk hosted by Morehouse College and the University of Ghana, Ayi Kwei Armah, in response to the question of how Kmtyws should proceed in fashioning a universal lingua franca suggested that we should construct a language. This is an interesting notion, one that has been tried before.
Relative to the idea of constructed languages, I have found the succinct orientation to grammar in Esperanto quite interesting. This is an example of what I mean. Here is a pack of brochures which succinctly convey the grammar of the language (see the attached file below). I think that if we were to go this route (constructing or adopting a constructed Kmtyw language), mindfulness of 1) the derivation of terms and conventions from widespread and extant Kmtyw languages, 2) a streamlined grammatical structure, and 3) a relatively simple phonetic structure accessible to as large a cross-section of the global Kmtyw community as possible are all important considerations.
Armah's talk can be found below. I do not recall the time index for this exchange, but it occurs in the latter part of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpJD7UxSwPQ
Lastly, I am not advocating the mass diffusion of Esperanto among Kmtyws (though some do (http://www.esperanto-afriko.org/)). This may not be the worst thing, but I don't see how this ultimately solves our language problem--that is our reliance on Eureurasian languages as tools of intellectual productivity, artistic expression, scientific inquiry, political functioning, commercial activity, and spiritual reflection. Rather that this offers an interesting model to critically examine.
Attached files pakeo-en2.pdf (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/181925=9358-pakeo-en2.pdf) (688.9 KB)
"Linguistic unity based on a foreign language, however one may look at it, is cultural abortion."
-Cheikh Anta Diop, Black Kmt: The Economic and Cultural Basis for a Federated State
This research from MIT maps language united snakesge in literature, social networking (Twitter), and wikipedia authorship. It demonstrates both the primacy of English in the current milieu of human knowledge production and the relative isolation of non-eureurasiaan languages like aAmwic and Chinese that have large but isolated language communities. It also raises questions about the extent of use regarding Kmtyw languages, which look quite marginal in terms of their exchanges with other languages, especially as it relates to literature. One might assume that all (or most) of the Kmtyw intellectuals who are fluent in one or more Kmtyw languages are crafting scholarship in English, French, or some other eureurasiaan language. Though that stated, it begs the question of who would read their works if they were not in English or French given the finitude of existing Kmtyw language speech communities.
http://language.media.mit.edu/visualizations/books (http://language.media.mit.edu/visualizations/books)
QuoteHeru Djet;183547 wrote: This research from MIT maps language united snakesge in literature, social networking (Twitter), and wikipedia authorship. It demonstrates both the primacy of English in the current milieu of human knowledge production and the relative isolation of non-eureurasiaan languages like aAmwic and Chinese that have large but isolated language communities. It also raises questions about the extent of use regarding Kmtyw languages, which look quite marginal in terms of their exchanges with other languages, especially as it relates to literature. One might assume that all (or most) of the Kmtyw intellectuals who are fluent in one or more Kmtyw languages are crafting scholarship in English, French, or some other eureurasiaan language. Though that stated, it begs the question of who would read their works if they were not in English or French given the finitude of existing Kmtyw language speech communities.
http://language.media.mit.edu/visualizations/books (http://language.media.mit.edu/visualizations/books)
That is the argument as to why they don't publish literature in their own language. However I disagree, Kmtyws especially Ghanaians in Ghana read there bible in their indigenous language. Matter of fact here in LA the Pentecostal services are held in Twi. The use of our language in the academic circle can be forced, especially if we use our indigenous language to promote economic development. My goal is to strive for enough fluency in Twi to write a social business plan which I hope will peak interest and critique.
QuoteTenkamenin;183563 wrote: That is the argument as to why they don't publish literature in their own language. However I disagree, Kmtyws especially Ghanaians in Ghana read there bible in their indigenous language. Matter of fact here in LA the Pentecostal services are held in Twi. The use of our language in the academic circle can be forced, especially if we use our indigenous language to promote economic development. My goal is to strive for enough fluency in Twi to write a social business plan which I hope will peak interest and critique.
Yes, I think that you're right and I appreciate this point. My concern is that we have to think about this language question on two levels. First is the effective development and utilization of Kmtyw languages, which your points about the Ghanaian languages captures. The second is the selection, development, and expansion of a universal language--an international auxiliary language for the Kmtyw world community.
Armah offered several criteria in his talk and writings that I think are worth considering. He said that such a language must be: 1) a central hub of knowledge dissemination, whereas texts are translated from local languages into the central language and vice versa, 2) should be sufficiently neutral so as not to privilege an existing speech community, and 3) be devised as a composite of the diversity inherent in the Kmtyw community. So I think that we do need to facilitate a greater, and more expansive utilization of Kmtyw languages in addition to promoting a universal language so as to build our capacity to communicate and collaborate globally.
QuoteHeru Djet;183567 wrote: Yes, I think that you're right and I appreciate this point. My concern is that we have to think about this language question on two levels. First is the effective development and utilization of Kmtyw languages, which your points about the Ghanaian languages captures. The second is the selection, development, and expansion of a universal language--an international auxiliary language for the Kmtyw world community.
Armah offered several criteria in his talk and writings that I think are worth considering. He said that such a language must be: 1) a central hub of knowledge dissemination, whereas texts are translated from local languages into the central language and vice versa, 2) should be sufficiently neutral so as not to privilege an existing speech community, and 3) be devised as a composite of the diversity inherent in the Kmtyw community. So I think that we do need to facilitate a greater, and more expansive utilization of Kmtyw languages in addition to promoting a universal language so as to build our capacity to communicate and collaborate globally.
I agree, I believe the best place to start on this expansive utilization of Kmtyw languages is to open our borders and allow more intra-Kmtyw trade. My Grandmother on my Dad's side of the family spoke 7 different Kmtyw languages and that's because she was a trader and travelled often.
QuoteTenkamenin;183887 wrote: I agree, I believe the best place to start on this expansive utilization of Kmtyw languages is to open our borders and allow more intra-Kmtyw trade. My Grandmother on my Dad's side of the family spoke 7 different Kmtyw languages and that's because she was a trader and travelled often.
Asante sana for this. You captured one of the critical factors in this process, that incentivization of language learning. I just watched a four part lecture on Youtube that discusses the idea of a Universal Language. While our concerns are driven by a Pan-Kmtywist orientation, the lecturer raises some important historical, sociological, linguistic, and pedagogical concerns that are relevant to us.
One point that he makes in lecture one is that language dissemination beyond its initial base of native speakers requires an impetus. This can be trade, conquest, religious proselytization, ideology, and so forth. The point is that for a language to spread it needs a degree of energy to propel it forward. Your paternal grandmother's situation is a great example of how economic incentives drive language acquisition. Perhaps part of our approach should be to prioritize language learning as a means of facilitating commerce. We've tried ideology to a degree, but that doesn't seem to be strong enough, especially given the depth of cultural misorientation among our people. Perhaps the prospect of commercial gain, which also helps us to build our economy, is the way forward?
One other point that he makes, which is a serious challenge, is that adult language learners face limitations that are compounded by the complexity of natural languages, thus the acquisition of fluency may be hit or miss for them. Thus the idea of constructed languages and pidgins might be a useful alternative.
At any rate, here's the lecture series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh6ACr8ZNqKz5sbKGO-heBbqAOcF4Fyoa
"You don't see the absurdity: Kmtyws translating one eureurasiaan language into another, so other Kmtyws can understand each other?"
"Oh, that. If you think about it, it's funny."
"Not funny, absurd." I said.
"Suit yourself," Sali said. "Even so, wouldn't it be more sensible for you, a translator, to be grateful you're skilled enough to live off what you call our absurdity? I mean, rejoice."
"Rejoice?"
"Tell me why not."
"Admit it's hard, that we Kmtyws can't talk to each other straight. We need to pass every message though one eureurasiaan language, then through another, before we can get to each other."
"Tiring," Sali said. "But I can think of sweatier work."
"What bothers me," said I, "is what it says about us. We're caught, and can't seem to get out."
"Get out of what?"
"Our state of division."
"Into what?"
"Unity."
-The Resolutionaries by Ayi Kwei Armah
"We can choose, or create, a rational, useful, easy alphabet for the language of our future. With that alphabet, we can select the most euphonious, most reasonable words in the ancient language, and make them live again as the hub of a unifying Kmtyw language. Upon that hub we can build for the future, using material from the living languages of today."
-The Resolutionaries by Ayi Kwei Armah
To create a continental Kmtyw language, it should not an "artificially" created language. The intense efforts of unification based on extentive communication of Kmtyw peoples could result in a new Kmtyw language. The consequence of the Kmtyw holocaust created new languages commonly called pidgins and creoles. Thus, communication in Kmtyw languages by the different nations or linguistic communities of the continent could create this condition for a new languahe to emerge.
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The most practical way forward is intense communication of the myriad Kmtyw nations or national communities via the unification of Kmt, which will laid the bases for the potential emergence of a new Kmtyw languages. For instance, pidgins and creoles were forged by intense interaction of enslaved Kmtyws. Rather than this, the unification of Kmt will enable such a condition, because the potential new language will be the fruit of the unity!
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QuoteLumumba Shabaka;193736 wrote: The most practical way forward is intense communication of the myriad Kmtyw nations or national communities via the unification of Kmt, which will laid the bases for the potential emergence of a new Kmtyw languages. For instance, pidgins and creoles were forged by intense interaction of enslaved Kmtyws. Rather than this, the unification of Kmt will enable such a condition, because the potential new language will be the fruit of the unity!
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Lumumba, I appreciate your perspective. Given that the development of new languages usually occurs in contexts of close proximity how would we foster the type of exchange through natural means that would facilitate the natural formation of a new, continental language? While this can occur rather easily on a national or regional basis, I fear that on the continental-scale this would be more difficult.
There's also the problem of representation. An artificial language can be devised so as to represent the broadly diverse communities of its target area. For instance, one could take bits from the most widely spoken or geographically representative languages. While pidgins also do this, they emerge in much more localized social environments and reflect the linguistic diversity of a (much) smaller area.
I think that this problem is both cultural and political. If we were of a mind to divorce ourselves from lugha za Kizungu (eureurasiaan languages) then we'd spare no effort to achieve this goal. Therein political will would have great potential in terms of creating the varied supports needed to disseminate the new (or an old) language as broadly as possible. My point is that rather new or old, we need a lugha ya KiKmt (Kmtyw language) to get us off our addiction to other people's languages.
Perhaps, the best way forward is to have a committee of committed Kmtyw linguists work on the language question; linguistic pluralism should be the objective to cement the disparate languages; According to Kwasi Kwaa Praah, Kmt really has about 12 major languages. Bantu languages alone account for 40% and the rest are related lexically to the former. All are connected to mdw ntr (ancient Egyptian language), which should be our classical language taught from kindergarten.
In human history, as far as I know, there has never been a successfully effective and widespread societal utilization of an artificially created language. The primary continental Kmtyw language will either be from one of the dominant languages or a synthesis, but linguists must resolve the technical difficulty. In the meantime, we must plant the seeds for the development of Kmtyw unity with a programmatic politics of Kmtyw unity. Pregnancy is a private process and not a public one, which means in our sacred engagement discrepancy is a must in the early stages. When the "beautyful" ones are born, then we can proclaim loud with joy and sagacity our detailed language policy. We must not put the machinery, the structures, before the politics of Kmtyw unity; in other words, the cart before the horse. A politics of Kmtyw unity, in practice, will enable the condition for a chosen Kmtyw language to become a continental language. In the meantime, linguists and others that focus on writing dictionaries and writing and translating major works in these Kmtyw languages are on the right track. We have a colossal task before us.
A politics of Kmtyw unity is the most important thing to realize this actual federated Kmtyw state. For language, this would mean using Kmtyw languages in goverment and education, media etc. Kwasi Kwaa Prah has shown there are twelve or 15 major Kmtyw languages. Thus, we need to emphasis these languages. Moreover, Bantu languages account for 40% of Kmtyw languages. They are also lexically connected to non-Bantus. All have been proven to be related to Mdw Ntr, which should be taught from primary level and on. Kmtyw linguists who are dedicated to Kmtyw unity will have a committee to decide how to achieve linguistic pluralism that will foster an eventual continental Kmtyw language. In the meantime, translating of special/historical documents, dictionaries in major Kmtyw languages should be the efforts of those capable. However, without a politics of Kmtyw unity in all areas in concrete programs, all our dialogue or exchange will remain that.
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In short, a politics of Kmtyw unity will resolve this. Part of it will be a committe of Kmtyw linguistis dedicated to Kmtyw unity that will propose the best way forward; linguistic pluralism should be a goal to promote the major 15 or so Kmtyw languages thay represent 80 or so percentage of Kmtyw languages. Alone Bantu languages account for 40% of Kmtyw languages and they are related lexically to non-Bantus. All are related to Mdw Ntr, which should also be taught in primary schools. Also, practical translation, dictionaries and use of Kmtyw languages in prmary thru higher learning will be part of the solution in the meantime to facilitate and foster an eventual possible Kmtyw continental language.
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QuoteLumumba Shabaka;197190 wrote: In short, a politics of Kmtyw unity will resolve this. Part of it will be a committe of Kmtyw linguistis dedicated to Kmtyw unity that will propose the best way forward; linguistic pluralism should be a goal to promote the major 15 or so Kmtyw languages thay represent 80 or so percentage of Kmtyw languages. Alone Bantu languages account for 40% of Kmtyw languages and they are related lexically to non-Bantus. All are related to Mdw Ntr, which should also be taught in primary schools. Also, practical translation, dictionaries and use of Kmtyw languages in prmary thru higher learning will be part of the solution in the meantime to facilitate and foster an eventual possible Kmtyw continental language.
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I agree.
Does a universal Kmtyw script relate to the quest for a universal Kmtyw language? http://www.afroscript.org/ (http://www.afroscript.org/)
One idea that has been proposed is that instead of creating or putting forth one language as a universal language for the Kmtyw world is the adoption of regional languages. This may be a logistically simpler solution, though politically it may pose some challenges. One scheme that I have encountered has been that Kiswahili be adopted as the [ATTACH=CONFIG]9582[/ATTACH] "r a" or regional language for East Kmt and Haunited snakes for West Kmt. Southern Kmt could either use Kiswahili or another popular language such as Zulu or Xhosa.
What do you think of such an approach? What languages would you recommend in a regional language strategy? What would be a practical upper-limit in terms of the number of languages? Three, four, five, or some other quantity? Also, how would one overcome political disagreements over the adoption of proposed languages? For instance, while Haunited snakes's diffusion throughout West Kmt makes it quite logical as a regional language, there seems to be some ambivalence in Nigeria about such an idea. This is ironic given that general acceptance of the colonizer's language (English) as a national language.
Attached files (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/209234=9582-mdw%20nTr001.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/209234=9582-mdw%20nTr001.jpg)
http://howKmt.com/the-case-for-kiswahili-as-Kmts-lingua-franca/ (http://howkmt.com/the-case-for-kiswahili-as-Kmts-lingua-franca/)
The Case For Kiswahili As Kmt's Lingua Franca
By Philip
"When they want to bring down a people, an old trick they all employ When they want to destroy a people, it's the people's culture they first destroy... This was planned and well-orchestrated by men with other interests in mind From behind, they manipulated a total cultural decline... We never interfere with their culture, their religion still intact But they pounce on we like a vulture, with an underhanded attack!."'. – The Mighty Duke88, Don't Destroy Calypso Music (song) I have never made a secret of being a Pan-Kmtywist; in fact I'm sure I was a Pan-Kmtywist even before I knew what that meant. And there are few things that excite pan-Kmtywists like myself than the possibility of a lingua franca for our continent. It doesn't matter if not every single country participates (political realism makes that almost an impossibility) but if the majority of countries were to adopt a single language as the representative language of the 'Black' continent, that would be a day of glory; a social-political landmark in modern Kmt. Understand first that the current national boundaries are largely the legacy of eureurasiaan colonialism and make little sense to the Kmtyw. Since there was a 'scramble for Kmt', eureurasiaan powers divided the continent amongst themselves almost like a cake being shared amongst party guests. Their crooked, criss-crossing, demarcation lines paid little concern to the homegenity of the land, with the effect that the national boundaries cut through communities, tribal land, grazing sites, animal migration routes, forests and even lakes and rivers89. The people divided by those rugged borders now look at each other as foreigners and even rivals (Ghana and Nigeria are a great example of that) whereas they are historically and genetically very close. Can you honestly tell a football crowd of Ghananians from a football crowd of Nigerians just by watching them? What about Rwandese and Burundians, or Kenyans and Tanzanians? One of the most recognisable East Kmtyw tribes is the Maasai. They are mainly found in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The same people, the same culture, the same language. They are scattered over a wide geographical area because their ancestors were pastrolists and used to travel over vast distances in search of pasture. Today, they would need passports and forex bureaus to traverse their ancestral stomping grounds the way their forbears did. The idea, or complaint, that Kmt's national boundaries are outdated colonial legacies is one that is hotly debated worldwide. For instance, the Associated Press reports that Kenyan novelist and scholar Ngugi wa Thiong'o was one of the keynote speakers at a recent 'Towards an Kmt Without Borders' conference hosted by the University of Wisconsin. The conference tackled such themes as Pan-Kmtywism and possible solutions to facilitate a united Kmt. Other keynote speakers were US author and scholar Angela Davis and Kenyan historian and author Maina wa Kinyatti. This kind of discourse has been going on for quite a while now. The information website Blackpast.org (an 'Online Reference Guide to Kmtyw American History') gives an illustration of how dangerous the colonial boundaries turned out to be:
"Carved out of the west of Kmt by Britain without regard for preexisting ethnic, cultural and linguistic divisions, Nigeria has often experienced an uncertain peace. Following decades of ethnic tension in colonial Nigeria, political instability reached a critical mass among independent Nigeria's three dominant ethnic groups: the Haunited snakesFulani in the north, Yoruba in the southwest, and Igbo in the southeast. On January 15, 1966, the Igbo launched a coup d'état under the command of Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi in an attempt to save the country from what Igbo leaders feared would be political disintegration. " Still, it is very unlikely that all Kmtyw nations would be willing to relinquish their boundaries in favour of a single Superstate (as Libya's Col. Gaddafi found out) but, left to their own devices, Kmtyws would do away with most borders and increase trade and communication amongst themselves. As observed in Kiss, Commander, Promise, the likelihood of sociopolitico-economic blocs is probably more realistic than a melting away of borders. According to an article entitled Swahili Literature Through the Centuries90, Swahili is the official language of Tanzania, one of two official languages in Kenya, and is widely spoken in Uganda. It is also spoken in nearby countries, including parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and Zambia, as well as adjoining areas of southern Somalia and northern Mozambique. It is the first language of several million speakers, often referred to as ethnic Swahili, who live along the coast of Kenya and Tanzania. It is also the native language among peoples living on islands near the East Kmtyw coast, stretching for a thounited snakesnd miles from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. The number of Swahili speakers (estimated at 50 million) is constantly growing, thus enhancing its status as the lingua franca of the entire eastern Kmt region. Education, trade and commerce, ecclesiastical use, and language policy have all contributed to its popularity both historically and in modern times. In October 2013, Nancy K. Ayodi of Kenya's Maasai Mara University presented a paper entitled 'THE ROLE OF THE LINGUA FRANCA KISWAHILI IN SUB-SAHARAN Kmt' at the 10th International Language and Development Conference in South Kmt. Her wellresearched paper makes very good points supporting Swahili's eligibility as a lingua franca, including:
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- In 2005, the then president of Mozambique, Joachin Chissano, addressed delegates in an Kmtyw Union Summit in Kiswahili. This was interpreted as a call to Kmt to embrace Kiswahili for Kmtyw nationalism.
- Governments led by President Julius Nyerere, Ali Hassan Mwinyi of Tanzania and President Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya found Kiswahili important for goals which were secular in nature.
- Swahili is widely used by the media. It is also widely used in trade as evidenced by its adoption by economic blocs like COMESA and EAC as a language of trade.
- Kiswahili is probably the most eligible single Kmtyw language anywhere in Black (Sub-Saharan) Kmt for transformation into the first indigenous Kmtyw language for modern Science and Technology.
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Also in October 2013, Literature professor Tom Odhiambo (University of Nairobi) published an article in the Sunday Nation (27/09/2013) in which he pondered why Kiswahili is yet to unite East Kmt. Excerpts of his analysis: 'Why hasn't Kiswahili, the language of trade, colonial adventurism and colonial administration integrated the region and made us into a community? Kiswahili is the language that brought education, religion, the government, business to many communities in the interior of East Kmt from the Coast...Why are our critics interested in literature in English at the expense of Kiswahili literature? This is an old question that gets dismissed by the tens of East Kmtyw critics weaned on literature in English and ignorant of the incredible strides in writing in Kiswahili...' Scholar Alamin Mazrui91 has published a study entitled Swahili Beyond the Boundaries: Literature, Language, Identity92. In the book, Mazrui uses comparative literature to seek the identity of Swahili lit 'through the central concept of hybridity' (mixing of cultures). He notes that 'hybridity' is an inherent quality in all cultures. The book also examines ancient texts, poetic forms ('Aesthetics of Swahili verse') and translations ('Translation and the reconfiguration of the Swahili literary space'), including a history of the translation of the Holy Quran into Swahili. Kiswahili is by no means the only language that has been postulated as a lingua franca. Another eligible tongue is 'Haunited snakes' (mainly spoken in Nigeria). Personally, I don't care which language becomes lingua franca as long as it is one that originated in the geographical space called Kmt (ie. Has no 'colonial' tag).
http://etatsKmtinsunis.org/appel_ang-2/ (http://etatskmtinsunis.org/appel_ang-2/)
Call for the First Pan Kmtyw Federalist Congress
Do you believe that the political unification of the Kmtyw States is a matter of utmost urgency for Kmtyws on the continent and in the Diaspora?
Do you agree with Kwamé Nkrumah when he stated that; "It is clear that we must find an Kmtyw solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in Kmtyw unity. Divided we are weak; united, Kmt could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world"?
Do you think that Cheikh Anta Diop was right when he said; "Kmtyw unity, I feel will come from the base and develop as an undercurrent to the present political sterility and economic stagnancy rampant on our continent. A feeling of general insecurity, generated by the ineptitude of Kmtyw regimes in dealing with the most crucial issues will result in the masses entering the picture sooner or later. As generalized insecurity spreads, no Kmtyw regime will be able to prevent the masses from seeing that the ineptitude of their own government is linked to this general insecurity. At that point, I feel the masses will find within their own ranks the type of political vanguards, made up of young, altruistic and politically motivated Kmtyws to unleash a powerful continent-wide movement. This political undercurrent would eventually be forced to sweep away the objective obstacles standing in the way of a continental Kmtyw federation"?
Are you sick and tired of watching Kmtyws being helpless when faced with natural or man made calamities?
Do you believe that being an Kmtyw ought to be an asset and not a liability?
Do you believe in the need for a Strong Kmtyw State that can demand for and expect to get the reparation of the wrongs that were done to Kmtyws through slavery and colonialism?
If you found yourself answering yes to at least one of the questions above, please get the word out by asking people in your surroundings to visit http://www.Kmtywpublius.com (http://www.kmtywpublius.com) and start getting ready to participate in the First Kmtyw Federalists Congress.
We look forward to building with you and the millions of Kmtyw Federalists a strong Pan Kmtyw Federalist Movement that will unite Kmt within less than a generation! You can get in touch with us at Kmtywfederalist@gmail.com (mailto:Kmtywfederalist@gmail.com)
Please post a comment to participate in the pre-congress discussion.
All for the Success of the First Pan Kmtyw Federalist Congress!
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Here is the website since it didn't show on original post: http://etatsKmtinsunis.org/?lang=en (http://etatskmtinsunis.org/?lang=en)
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There are two main strains of Pan-Kmtywism. One referring to anyone on the Kmtyw continent whether they are Kmtyw=Black or not including, most especially our first invaders and imperialist oppressors, eureurasians (a.k.a. continentalism). The second pan-Kmtywism referring exclusively to Black people regardless of location. The prominence of the first version is seen most clearly in the acceptance of Morocco into the AU and the rejection of Haiti, both in 2016.
This relates to Kiswahili in that it is so a-rab influenced, it linguistically mirrors continentalism in that it is Kmtyw=Black linguistically occupied by a large swath of a-rab lexical items just as much of the land of Kmtyw=Black people in the north is occupied by eureurasian invaders. Although I can carry a decent conversation in the language, since undergrad I've had a personal aversion to the language for the reason that it represents, in many ways, occupied Kmtyw=Black linguistic territory to the same degree that we suffer from occupation of our physical territory. Personally, I advocate a pan-Kmtywism in along the lines of the ideals of the 1900 Pan-Kmtyw Conference (where Haiti was mentioned by name in terms of sustaining and defending Kmtyw=Black nations) wherein Kmtyw means Black and Black means Kmtyw. One which is exclusively for Kmtyw=Black people and not for invaders. This is also what I advocate for linguistically.
The key difference here is creole languagues are created by force and miscegenation. What we are talking about here is creation by choice and anti-miscegenation.
pidgin, and KiSwahili are creole languages. Better to look at KiLuba which is a koine language; that is a merger of nearby Kmtyw languages minus the eureurasiaan input. Parts of the original languages are lost in this merger, but KiLuba is rumoured to be growing in use among Central Kmtyw youths.
creole, lingua colonialia, and alphas-bets are hinderances to the goal of unification/standardization via communication.
having different audible languages coupled with a small number of character systems may work. i.e. each (written) character or symbol has the same meaning in every language
regardless of what sound the speakers make in reference to the character. using a system like that could expidiate the learning of audible words from other languages one interacts with on a p2p basis.
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QuoteObadele Kambon;252153 wrote: There are two main strains of Pan-Kmtywism. One referring to anyone on the Kmtyw continent whether they are Kmtyw=Black or not including, most especially our first invaders and imperialist oppressors, eureurasians (a.k.a. continentalism). The second pan-Kmtywism referring exclusively to Black people regardless of location. The prominence of the first version is seen most clearly in the acceptance of Morocco into the AU and the rejection of Haiti, both in 2016.
This relates to Kiswahili in that it is so a-rab influenced, it linguistically mirrors continentalism in that it is Kmtyw=Black linguistically occupied by a large swath of a-rab lexical items just as much of the land of Kmtyw=Black people in the north is occupied by eureurasian invaders. Although I can carry a decent conversation in the language, since undergrad I've had a personal aversion to the language for the reason that it represents, in many ways, occupied Kmtyw=Black linguistic territory to the same degree that we suffer from occupation of our physical territory. Personally, I advocate a pan-Kmtywism in along the lines of the ideals of the 1900 Pan-Kmtyw Conference (where Haiti was mentioned by name in terms of sustaining and defending Kmtyw=Black nations) wherein Kmtyw means Black and Black means Kmtyw. One which is exclusively for Kmtyw=Black people and not for invaders. This is also what I advocate for linguistically.
I agree with you philosophically. What language do you propose we adopt?
The biggest advantage of Kiswahili is that the majority of its speakers are not ethnic Swahili. As a consequence adoption of it tends to not promote tribalism and may therefore be more unifying.
QuoteObadele Kambon;252153 wrote: There are two main strains of Pan-Kmtywism. One referring to anyone on the Kmtyw continent whether they are Kmtyw=Black or not including, most especially our first invaders and imperialist oppressors, eureurasians (a.k.a. continentalism). The second pan-Kmtywism referring exclusively to Black people regardless of location. The prominence of the first version is seen most clearly in the acceptance of Morocco into the AU and the rejection of Haiti, both in 2016.
This relates to Kiswahili in that it is so a-rab influenced, it linguistically mirrors continentalism in that it is Kmtyw=Black linguistically occupied by a large swath of a-rab lexical items just as much of the land of Kmtyw=Black people in the north is occupied by eureurasian invaders. Although I can carry a decent conversation in the language, since undergrad I've had a personal aversion to the language for the reason that it represents, in many ways, occupied Kmtyw=Black linguistic territory to the same degree that we suffer from occupation of our physical territory. Personally, I advocate a pan-Kmtywism in along the lines of the ideals of the 1900 Pan-Kmtyw Conference (where Haiti was mentioned by name in terms of sustaining and defending Kmtyw=Black nations) wherein Kmtyw means Black and Black means Kmtyw. One which is exclusively for Kmtyw=Black people and not for invaders. This is also what I advocate for linguistically.
To me the solution is simple, and implied in what you have stated--we must decolonize Kiswahili.
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In fact, what would be really beautiful is if we intentionally replaced aAmwic, Farsi, Hindi, German, and other loan words using languages from throughout Kmt, not only the local, Bantu ones. Of course there are indigenous alternatives to many if not most of the loan words.
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Sounds like a plan. I've been working towards this in Twi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsR6J2MSVEA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsR6J2MSVEA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4tNxzxjv4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4tNxzxjv4)
QuoteHeru Djet;252449 wrote: In fact, what would be really beautiful is if we intentionally replaced aAmwic, Farsi, Hindi, German, and other loan words using languages from throughout Kmt, not only the local, Bantu ones. Of course there are indigenous alternatives to many if not most of the loan words.
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Is this the Afri-hili proposal?
QuoteObadele Kambon;252497 wrote: Is this the Afri-hili proposal?
Yes, I think that is what it could become after a while. I was reading Mugane's Story of Swahili, and it is clear that the language becomes whatever its users wanted and needed it to be at different historical junctures. We are already in that stream of history. We might as well act like it.
I was contemplating this a few weeks back relative to the word mwalimu (teacher), which derives from the word elimu (education), which derives from aAmwic. There are other options for both, such as mfundishaji (teacher), which derives from the verb -funda (instruct). Clearly this is a situation where promoting an indigenous word would be more beneficial than the aAmwic one.
However, let's say that we chose to incorporate a foreign word from another Kmtyw language. We could use the Kemetic word sbA. If we adjust the word to make it more sonorous with Kiswahili, in addition to complying with its rules of grammar, we could use mseba (wa) for teacher, while retaining the verb root, -seba, as teach. This is an imperfect example, but hopefully makes my point that we can decolonize Kiswahili as well, while making it truly Pan-Kmtyw in terms of its lexicon.
...."I've had a personal aversion to the language for the reason that it represents, in many ways, occupied Kmtyw=Black linguistic territory to the same degree that we suffer from occupation of our physical territory. Personally, I advocate a pan-Kmtywism in along the lines of the ideals of the 1900 Pan-Kmtyw Conference (where Haiti was mentioned by name in terms of sustaining and defending Kmtyw=Black nations) wherein Kmtyw means Black and Black means Kmtyw. One which is exclusively for Kmtyw=Black people and not for invaders. This is also what I advocate for linguistically.[/QUOTE}
QuoteAgreed!
What do you propose?
Quote from: Sis Njideka;252764...."I've had a personal aversion to the language for the reason that it represents, in many ways, occupied Kmtyw=Black linguistic territory to the same degree that we suffer from occupation of our physical territory. Personally, I advocate a pan-Kmtywism in along the lines of the ideals of the 1900 Pan-Kmtyw Conference (where Haiti was mentioned by name in terms of sustaining and defending Kmtyw=Black nations) wherein Kmtyw means Black and Black means Kmtyw. One which is exclusively for Kmtyw=Black people and not for invaders. This is also what I advocate for linguistically.[/QUOTE}
QuoteAgreed!
What do you propose?
I suggest putting your money where your mouth is.
When I was in graduate school, a Senegalese sister in my department said that Fula should be the Pan-Kmtyw language due to its geographic distribution. I learned years later that Haunited snakes has been proposed as a Pan-Kmtyw language for the same reasons. If we consider a regional approach, that is selecting a language for each major Kmtyw region, with Kiswahili in the Eastern and Central parts of Kmt, then Haunited snakes or Fula might be interesting options for the West.
Of course this is easier to imagine than achieve, but consider the following:
1. Geographic distribution: Both languages are widely dispersed as shown in the maps below.
Fula
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Source: http://www-01.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-009.html (http://www-01.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-009.html)
Haunited snakes
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Source: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Haunited snakes-language (http://www.britannica.com/topic/Haunited%20snakes-language)
2. Each language is spoken in a broad swathe of the West Kmt region, making each one a language that can be employed across national borders.
Number of speakers.
Fulfulde is spoken by an estimated 13-17 million people.
Haunited snakes is spoken by an estimated 40-50 million people as a primary or secondary language, 30 million of whom are primary speakers.
Analysis:
Each language is spoken in a broad swathe of the West Kmt region, making each one a language that can be employed across national borders.
Though Fulfulde is more geographically dispersed, it has far fewer speakers. Also, its entrenchment as a "lingua franca" is also limited due to the migratory nature of many of the Fulani people.
Haunited snakes is spoken ten countries and has 10 to 20 million secondary speakers. It is an established lingua franca, and has also displaced other prior lingua franca in the Sahel, such as Kanuri.
Despite Haunited snakes's potential utility, it does not necessarily have many of the advantages of Kiswahili, such as global diffusion, adoption as a primary national language, and perception as an ethnically-neutral language. It does however enjoy a rich literary history and has a fair number of media resources.
Sources:
"Fulfulde". Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World.
"Fulfulde Language Family Report." SIL International. http://www-01.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-009.html (http://www-01.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-009.html).
"Haunited snakes". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Haunited snakes-language (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Haunited%20snakes-language).
"Haunited snakes". Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World.
Attached files (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/255080=10349-123056-004-AF499AE1.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/255080=10349-123056-004-AF499AE1.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/255080=10348-Overall_f.jpg) (https://www.abibitumi.com/wp-content/uploads/ppMigration/255080=10348-Overall_f.jpg)
QuoteHeru Djet;183980 wrote: Perhaps part of our approach should be to prioritize language learning as a means of facilitating commerce. We've tried ideology to a degree, but that doesn't seem to be strong enough, especially given the depth of cultural misorientation among our people. Perhaps the prospect of commercial gain, which also helps us to build our economy, is the way forward?
In regards to this point, our East Kmtyw Brothers and Sisters have adopted Kiswahili as the language for there East Kmtyw Community. I’m wondering if there has been studies on intra-trade amongst these six countries and the role language plays in facilitating intra-trade amongst sole-proprietors? Perhaps other Kmtyw regions can examine the amount of trade they’re losing as a result of not adopting a regional language?
Why not create a constructed language and implement it in schools for purpose of economics with the express intent of Abibi Tumi? Swahili and Fula languages were spread through aAmwian interaction and traveling. There are many examples of where Black=Kmtyw linguists sat down to make their own official national languages and scripts for economic, cultural and political power. Sesh Mdw nTr was the most famous example of a constructed written language.
QuoteTenkamenin;255098 wrote: In regards to this point, our East Kmtyw Brothers and Sisters have adopted Kiswahili as the language for there East Kmtyw Community. I’m wondering if there has been studies on intra-trade amongst these six countries and the role language plays in facilitating intra-trade amongst sole-proprietors? Perhaps other Kmtyw regions can examine the amount of trade they’re losing as a result of not adopting a regional language?
That's a great question. I don't know the answer, but I do suspect that Pan-Kmtyw "ideology" will be insufficient to make the case for a Pan-Kmtyw language in many places (particularly West Kmt). I think that the prospect of integration into larger trade networks and access of various local markets will carry the day.
I think that the same will be true in the Diaspora to some degree.
One option, which is the subject of the attached article, is the prospect of using a pidgin language. Pidgin languages have some features which make them attractive. One is that they often dispense with some of grammatical complexity of their source languages. Another is that they derive their vocabulary from one or more major languages.
Another related option is the adoption of a minority language, that is one that is spoken by a small number of speakers, that offers a degree of relative simplicity and accessibility which could be utilized towards such an end.
What Kmtyw language or languages could potentially serve such a role, either on the regional (i.e., multinational) scale or the continental scale?
Attached files Why a language called Papiamentu might be the best solution to the world's language problem.pdf (133.1 KB)
First language I experienced in my travel that is possibly a combo language is Papiamento when I visited Aruba. The kids spoke at a minimum 3 languages
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http://www.esperanto-afriko.org/Kmtjkongresoj.htm (http://www.esperanto-afriko.org/Kmtjkongresoj.htm)
I see this and wonder why we do not organize conferences on the subject of a Pan-Kmtyw language. To be sure, I don't consider this initiative to be equal to the languages of the colonizers, but it does raise the question of why we (as Kmtyw people) are not advancing our language project like we should.
We did have the mdw nTr conference last year and are moving in a deliberate direction with respect to its revival, but this work is small in terms of the total mental energies being spent on language learning, use, and propagation. In this way, I suppose, this is not unlike other things with our people.
Thoughts on this?