This archive report was first published on 27 December 2019.
As a language enthusiast, I've often been puzzled by the way our youth use certain English words. One such word is 'enjoy', which has a peculiar connotation in Nairobi.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'to enjoy' means 'to take joy in', 'to receive pleasure from', 'to have the benefit of', 'to make use of', or 'to have a good time'. It originated from the old French 'enjoir' and 'joir', meaning 'to find pleasure in', and ultimately from the Latin 'gaudere', meaning 'to rejoice'.
However, in Nairobi, 'to enjoy' has taken on a different meaning. It means to mock, sneer, or laugh at someone else's expense. This negative connotation is not unique to Nairobi, as Dr. Joyce Nyairo, a linguistics scholar, pointed out during a recent media seminar. She reminded me that our youth have also given the verb 'assume' a meaning that is different from the traditional one.
Traditionally, 'to assume' means 'to take for granted', 'to suppose', 'to undertake', 'to pretend', 'to put on', or 'to usurp'. But in Nairobi, 'to assume' means 'to ignore'. For instance, a person might say, 'She assumed me' when a former girlfriend deliberately passes them by without acknowledging them.
It's fascinating to see how languages evolve and how words take on new meanings in different contexts. As a language expands, many old words take on localized meanings. For example, in North Nyanza, the Luo verb 'ran' means to be emaciated, but south of it, it means to lose one's mind.
As East Africans, we are developing our own English, and the peculiar local meanings of words like 'enjoy' and 'assume' will play a central role in defining it. When we speak of 'enjoying' someone, we might be laughing at them, but in other contexts, it means to take pleasure in their company.
Philip Ochieng is a veteran journalist.
