‘Enchengeria’ Gusii Dictionary Launched To Preserve Ekegusii Language
Professor John Akama, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of Kisii University, and three other authors have published a dictionary titled “Enchengeria” in an effort to revitalize the indigenous Ekegusii language.
The dictionary is written in three languages, Ekegusii, Kiswahili, and English, and meets the punctuation and spelling requirements of all readers.
Prof. Akama stated during the unveiling that respondents, including former teachers of Ekegusii and other Gusii culture experts, were involved in the production of the book.
He explained that the main reason for writing the book was because researchers, especially those affiliated with UNESCO and studying languages, projected that the Ekegusii language would soon face extinction due to a decrease in its user base.
“The main reason we wrote this book is that researchers, particularly those dealing with languages in UNESCO, are saying that the Ekegusii language will soon become extinct due to the decline in the number of users,” he noted.
The Vice-Chancellor added that the majority of Gusii community members had relocated to major cities and no longer spoke the language among themselves.
Similarly, Akama remarked that expatriates discouraged their children from speaking their native language in favor of the English language.
However, he was optimistic about the newly released dictionary, stating that it outlined the correct pronunciation of Ekegusii words and would aid in the preservation of the language.
Professor John Akama, Dr. Evans Mecha, Dr. Peter Otieno, and Dr. Peter Getenga are the co-authors of the ‘Enchengeria’ dictionary.
It is anticipated that the book will be uploaded online for free distribution by everyone, who will also be able to add missing words to the dictionary.
‘Enchengeria’ Gusii Dictionary Launched To Preserve Ekegusii Language
