Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

is a multilingual country. Swahili, a Bantu language, and English are widely spoken as lingua francas and serve as the two official languages. English was inherited from colonial rule (''see

British Kenya British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

''). Including second-language speakers, there are more speakers of Swahili than English in Kenya.

Overview

According to '' Ethnologue'', there are a total of 68

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

s spoken in Kenya. This variety is a reflection of the country's diverse population that includes most major ethnoracial and linguistic groups found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(see Languages of Africa). Languages spoken locally belong to three broad language families: Niger-Congo ( Bantu branch) and Nilo-Saharan ( Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu, Nilotic populations and the Cushitic, Afroasiatic language family respectively. The

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

ethnic minority speak languages belonging to the separate

Afroasiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

family, with the Hindustani and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

residents speaking languages from the

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

family.Ethnologue - Languages of Kenya
/ref> Kenya's various ethnic groups typically speak their mother tongues within their own communities. The two

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

s, English and Swahili, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with other populations.

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

is primarily used in Kenya. Additionally, a distinct local dialect,

Kenyan English Kenyan English is a local dialect of the English language spoken by several communities and individuals in Kenya, and among some Kenyan expatriates in other countries. The dialect contains features unique to it that were derived from local Ba ...

, is used by some communities and individuals in the country, and contains features unique to it that were derived from local Bantu languages such as Kiswahili and Kikuyu. It has been developing since colonisation and also contains certain elements of

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...

. English is widely spoken in commerce, schooling and government. Peri-urban and rural dwellers are less multilingual, with many in rural areas speaking only their native languages.

Language families

Major languages

The 2019 census reports the largest communities of native speakers in Kenya as follows: * Bantu ** Kikuyu 8.1 million ** Kamba 4.7 million ** Luhya 3.3 million ***(incl. Bukusu 1.2 million) ** Gusii 2.7 million ** Meru 2.0 million ** Mijikenda/Giriama ca. 1 million * Nilotic ** Dholuo 5.0 million **

Kalenjin languages The Kalenjin languages are a family of a dozen Southern Nilotic languages spoken in Kenya, eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. The term Kalenjin comes from an expression meaning "I say (to you)" or "I have told you" (present participle tense). ...

6.7 million ***(

Kipsigis Kipsigis may refer to: *the Kipsigis people of Kenya *Kipsigis language Kipsigis (or Kipsikii, Kipsikiis) is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster, It is spoken mainly in Kericho and Bomet counties in Kenya. The Kipsigis people are the m ...

1.9 million, Nandi 940,000) ** Maasai 1.2 (1.9 million including Tanzania) ** Turkana 1.0 million * Cushitic ** Oromo (over 48 million incl. Ethiopia) *** Borana, 3.4 million speakers in 2010 *** Orma, 659,000 speakers in 2015 ** Somali 2.8 million (22 million incl. Ethiopia and Somalia)

Minor languages

Languages spoken by the country's ethnic minorities include: *

Afroasiatic languages The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

** Cushitic *** Rendille, 60,000 speakers in 2015“Rendille”, '' Ethnologue'' (18th ed., 2015) ** Semitic ***

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

** Hindustani ** English * Bantu ** Swahili

References

External links

Linguistic map of Kenya at Muturzikin.com''Ethnologue'' page for KenyaNational Public Radio story about Kisii language
from ''All Things Considered'' program, April 29, 2006
PanAfriL10n page on Kenya
{{English official language clickable map

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...