I have noticed that even though most Kikuyus understand and speak their mother tongue quite well, most of us cannot understand the figurative expressions embedded in that language. I remember in primary school our Kikuyu teacher telling us that just because we can hear, write, and speak Kikuyu, it doesn’t mean that we can understand it, and this is becoming more apparent as I grow older.
In fact, the so called Agikuyu Karing’a can converse among themselves and you wouldn’t have any clue of what they are talking about. This is not an isolated incidence from me, I have anecdotal evidence confirming this phenomenon from people who grew up speaking Kikuyu but cannot decipher it’s riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims, and it’s idiomatic expressions.
Just take an example of how Mwangi Kiunjuri speaks in cryptic Kikuyu and then his audience laughs. It’s not because he has said something funny, ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. It’s almost uncanny how ordinary Kikuyus even those who grew up in central do not understand such deep Kikuyu.
Muthafari:
I have noticed that even though most Kikuyus understand and speak their mother tongue quite well, most of us cannot understand the figurative expressions embedded in that language. I remember in primary school our Kikuyu teacher telling us that just because we can hear, write, and speak Kikuyu, it doesn’t mean that we can understand it, and this is becoming more apparent as I grow older.
In fact, the so called Agikuyu Karing’a can converse among themselves and you wouldn’t have any clue of what they are talking about. This is not an isolated incidence from me, I have anecdotal evidence confirming this phenomenon from people who grew up speaking Kikuyu but cannot decipher it’s riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims, and it’s idiomatic expressions.
Just take an example of how Mwangi Kiunjuri speaks in cryptic Kikuyu and then his audience laughs. It’s not because he has said something funny, ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. It’s almost uncanny how ordinary Kikuyus even those who grew up in central do not understand such deep Kikuyu.
Riddle ngani hio kali sana watu wawezi elewa ?
Here you go elder, here is a link.
Listen to him and tell us honestly kama umeelewa kenye amesema.
Throwing a few proverbs here and there doesn’t mean he is ‘karîng’a’
what’s difficult to understand there
mtadao
November 10, 2020, 1:09pm
6
The riddles are easily understood and their purpose is to put a more serious delivery and meaning to the message he is putting across
Muthafari:
I have noticed that even though most Kikuyus understand and speak their mother tongue quite well, most of us cannot understand the figurative expressions embedded in that language. I remember in primary school our Kikuyu teacher telling us that just because we can hear, write, and speak Kikuyu, it doesn’t mean that we can understand it, and this is becoming more apparent as I grow older.
In fact, the so called Agikuyu Karing’a can converse among themselves and you wouldn’t have any clue of what they are talking about. This is not an isolated incidence from me, I have anecdotal evidence confirming this phenomenon from people who grew up speaking Kikuyu but cannot decipher it’s riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims, and it’s idiomatic expressions.
Just take an example of how Mwangi Kiunjuri speaks in cryptic Kikuyu and then his audience laughs. It’s not because he has said something funny, ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. It’s almost uncanny how ordinary Kikuyus even those who grew up in central do not understand such deep Kikuyu.
Muthafari:
It’s not because he has said something funny, [COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. I
I have noticed that even though most Kikuyus understand and speak their mother tongue quite well, most of us cannot understand the figurative expressions embedded in that language. I remember in primary school our Kikuyu teacher telling us that just because we can hear, write, and speak Kikuyu, it doesn’t mean that we can understand it, and this is becoming more apparent as I grow older.
In fact, the so called Agikuyu Karing’a can converse among themselves and you wouldn’t have any clue of what they are talking about. This is not an isolated incidence from me, I have anecdotal evidence confirming this phenomenon from people who grew up speaking Kikuyu but cannot decipher it’s riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims, and it’s idiomatic expressions.
Just take an example of how Mwangi Kiunjuri speaks in cryptic Kikuyu and then his audience laughs. It’s not because he has said something funny, ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. It’s almost uncanny how ordinary Kikuyus even those who grew up in central do not understand such deep Kikuyu.
That crowd is not floation, they get all that kali kali kikuyu mingi and seem to enjoy the way he is chapiliaring those riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims
Micymas
November 10, 2020, 1:18pm
8
Those are mpeketoni guys. They hardly speak coherent kikuyu. They speak some weird kikuyu-swahili intermediary. They honestly have no idea what he’s saying
Heheee just like me over here. Siwezi ongea Kikuyu iko na euphemisms kali ivo. It seems like sijui Kikuyu like I always thought.
I wish it was that easy. Hawa wazee are serious gatekeepers of Kikuyu knowledge. Unaweza enda apo kwa izo meetings zao uambiwe utoe Ûhĩĩ hapo.
Barueri
November 10, 2020, 10:55pm
11
Ni kweli iko Kikuyu ngumu and cryptic that most of us cannot understand. For example listen to this song by De’Matthew, nimejaribu kuskia anasema nini and I can’t decipher the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDPXo-Kn4j4
Micymas
November 10, 2020, 11:09pm
12
Barueri:
Ni kweli iko Kikuyu ngumu and cryptic that most of us cannot understand. For example listen to this song by De’Matthew, nimejaribu kuskia anasema nini and I can’t decipher the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDPXo-Kn4j4
that’s not even cryptic, listen to the mwonboko genre for some real cryptic songs
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Kikuyu original is no longer spoken today. What we have is just a slang that has developed over many years.
In 2 or 3 decade they will all be gone and that knowledge lost for ever.
New generations hawana haja na hio kikuyu mingi mingi. Hao hua proud of not knowing sababu ukionekana unajua sana utaketi kama mshamba fulani.
But doesn’t language evolve? I’m sure the so called Kikuyu original is not what was being spoken wakitoka Congo
these things shld be archived and studied and taught … bonobos are the only ppl nt bothering…
Muthafari:
I have noticed that even though most Kikuyus understand and speak their mother tongue quite well, most of us cannot understand the figurative expressions embedded in that language. I remember in primary school our Kikuyu teacher telling us that just because we can hear, write, and speak Kikuyu, it doesn’t mean that we can understand it, and this is becoming more apparent as I grow older.
In fact, the so called Agikuyu Karing’a can converse among themselves and you wouldn’t have any clue of what they are talking about. This is not an isolated incidence from me, I have anecdotal evidence confirming this phenomenon from people who grew up speaking Kikuyu but cannot decipher it’s riddles, euphemisms, proverbs, maxims, and it’s idiomatic expressions.
Just take an example of how Mwangi Kiunjuri speaks in cryptic Kikuyu and then his audience laughs. It’s not because he has said something funny, ni vyenye kila mtu hapo amefloat because ameangusha ridddle kali sana. It’s almost uncanny how ordinary Kikuyus even those who grew up in central do not understand such deep Kikuyu.
Bona ulikua umerusha yengs nje, then it ended up being mutumia wa munabii (MHRIP)
