Abstract:
This study investigated the status of Ekiehe in the direction to know whether the
language is surviving or disintegrating to a lower status. In particular, the study
examined the use of Ekiehe in the informal domains, the Hehe attitude towards their
ethnic language and the status of the transmission of Ekiehe to the next generations.
The UNESCO‟s Language Vitality and Language Framework by Ad Hoc Expert
Group on Language of 2003 guided this investigation. The three factors of language
endangerment used are intergenerational language transmission; the trend in the
existing language domains and community members‟ attitude towards their
language.
The analysis of the information obtained revealed that Ekiehe is unsafe since it is in a
gradual shifting to Kiswahili language. Ekiehe is only used purely and predominantly
in traditional practices while, in the rest of informal domains, Ekiehe co-existed with
Kiswahili. The unequal status between Ekiehe and Kiswahili makes Kiswahili roots
to grow even deeper in the informal domains, particularly at home domain; hence, the
gradual shift of Ekiehe to Kiswahili is observed.
Following the findings from this study, it is suggested that necessary steps should be
put in place to rescue the language from disappearance. It is also recommended that
language policies should allow the use of ethnic languages in some formal domains,
like worship areas, early childhood education, massmedia and the courts. Parents are
also advised to find all possible mechanisms to ensure their children learn at least one
of the parents‟ ethnic languages
