Code Switching in Contemporary Kiswahili Rap Song

Abstract

Code s witching is a prevalent form of language behavior and interpersonal communication in Nairobi and other urban areas in Kenya. It is an important area of study in finding out how language is used to effectively communicate ideas among multilingual speakers and to enhance interpersonal relationships. This study looked at CS in Kiswahili rap songs from a sociolinguistic point of view. Some of the researches done on CS previously show that there are universal constraints on CS in conversations indicating that CS is not random but follows grammatical rules but none has looked at CS in song. This study aims to find out these constraints apply to the Rap song considering that the song may be using poetic language. This will add to the existing knowledge of CS in the sense that there might be patterns of CS in song that are not in a conversation. Song is a source of information on how a given society is using language by showing the value of the codes used and their symbolism. This is also examined in this study.