Maintaining the Kimbeere Language in Embu County, Kenya: A Pathway to Social Equity and Cultural Sustainability
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Abstract
The sociolinguistic dynamics of the preservation of the Kimbeere language in Embu County, Eastern Kenya, are examined in this study, emphasizing the language's vital role in promoting social justice among the Mbeere people. Using the frameworks of the Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory (Giles, Bourhis, & Taylor, 1977) and Joshua Fishman's Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), it examines the sociocultural, educational, and policy-related factors that affect the language's resilience or loss. The independent variable, the preservation of the Kimbeere language, was evaluated using community involvement and intergenerational transmission benchmarks. Social equity, the dependent variable, was measured using indicators of civic engagement, educational access, and cultural recognition. The results should demonstrate that, rather than merely improving cultural preservation, active language maintenance is a dynamic tool for empowering minority groups by improving their access to social recognition, civic engagement, and unbiased development.
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