Table 13. Kerewe summary of perceived comprehension between varieties
Perceived Similarity
↓ Kerewe Nansio
Kerewe Hamukoko
Kerewe Mukunu
Kerewe Bukondo
Mumbuga Dialect I
similar Bwiro
Dialect II similar
similar similar
Irugwa Dialect III
similar --
similar --
Zinza somewhat similar somewhat similar somewhat similar somewhat similar
Jita not very similar
-- not very similar
not very similar Kara
not very similar not very similar
not very similar not very similar
7.2.4 Kerewe
langugae varieties: Conclusion
There are three different perceived speech varieties within the Kerewe language. The dialect on the main island, spoken by most Kerewe speakers, is generally considered better and purer Kerewe and is also the
origin of the language. It is unclear which specific village is seen as having the form of the language most suitable for standardized literature, but most people mentioned some village in the eastern part of
Ukerewe, in Ngoma Ward. There were certainly perceived linguistic differences between speech varieties, which were verified by analysis, but within Kerewe the varieties are seen to be very similar.
The Zinza language is also considered quite similar to Kerewe.
8 Language use and attitudes
The information in this section was obtained from the group interviews and interviews with village executive officers and ward executive officers. Kara and Kerewe will be treated separately in this section,
with Kara being discussed in section 8.1 and Kerewe in 8.2.
8.1 Kara language use and attitudes
8.1.1 How vital is the Kara language and how likely is it to be spoken in the future?
When asked what language children speak before they enter school, both Bwisya and Nyang’ombe groups agreed that they speak Kara. Even as they get older, they continue to speak Kara most of the
time, except that they are required to speak Swahili in school. Participants in both villages reported that the children speak Kara well, and the Bwisya group said the same for the youth, although the
Nyang’ombe group said that their young people mix Kara with Swahili.
In the Bwisya group, people felt that Kara would continue to be spoken by those who stay on Ukara Island. The Nyang’ombe group thought that Kara would become increasingly mixed with Swahili and
eventually be taken over by it. Their children’s children might continue to speak Kara but it will be more and more mixed with Swahili, according to the Nyang’ombe group. The Bwisya group thought that their
children’s children would keep speaking pure Kara as long as they stay on Ukara Island.
All groups agreed on the importance of speaking Kara, because it is their “language of origin” and is seen as a way to keep their origins and customs alive and preserve their culture. It is also seen as
important because it was handed down by their parents and because it gives them joy to speak it.
8.1.2 What attitudes do the Kara have about developing the Kara language?
The research team asked a ward executive officer whether reading and writing in the Kara language would benefit the Kara people, to which he responded that it would benefit them. He commented that
the Kara people would understand more when they read materials in Kara than in Swahili, especially for those in the community who do not know Swahili. He suggested that this would particularly be the case
in matters having to do with the Bible.
When asked whether they had previously heard of the language project in Mara, only one person in the Nyang’ombe group remembered hearing of it a few years ago.
8.1.3 What is the use of the Kara language in the church?
