The Morpho-syntactic Differences among Kalenjin Dialects: An Analysis of Kipsigis, Tugen and Pokot

Abstract

Kalenjin is a language spoken primarily in Kenya. A majority of the Kalenjin speakers inhabit the Rift Valley region in Kenya. Scholars who have done research in Kalenjin somehow agree that Kalenjin dialects are not uniform in as far as the linguistic structure and intelligibility is concerned.  This study aims at establishing the extent to which Pokot morpho-syntactic structure is different from those of other Kalenjin dialects by comparing it with Tugen. The study randomly selected 90 subjects. The data was collected using language tests which were answered orally and tape-recorded for further analysis. The results were analyzed, interpreted and described by using cognate percentages, spread cognate percentages and the inspection method. The findings of this study make an important addition to the information on Kalenjin. It is also useful for those interested in Kalenjin translations.

Key words: Kalenjin, Morphosyntax, structure, lexicostatistics, morpheme, cognate