Kenyanisms

So I figure that since I've picked up a Kenyan accent (which I have to turn on and off depending on who I talk to) and my parents commented on my how I speak a bit differently when Skyping earlier in the week, I thought I would share a bit about "Kenyanisms" or things Kenyans say and do that I probably will have when I come home and you won't know what to do with.

1). The inability to say yes or no: I've found many Kenyans who, rather than saying yes or no, will simply respond with an "mhmm" to mean yes or no. If it goes up, that means yes, and if it goes down it means no. So if you ask me a yes or no question when I come home and I respond with this, tell me to clarify if you don't understand.

2) Ehhhh?: Think about how we say that Canadians say "eh" at the end of sentences, elongate it and make the sound go up at the end, and you've got a Kenyan "ehh". This is how I respond to people when they call my name or when I don't hear someone say something. It's basically equivalent to "what?" without saying it.

3) Raising my eyebrows with a slight nod: The Kenyan way to say yes when you're too lazy to feel like making "mhmm" sound.

4) Tisking: Kenyans tisk a lot, but it can mean different things. First off, you can tisk at something to say that it's bad, and this is how it's usually used. For example, if a tout (conductor) on a bus calls you over to get on a bus and then tells you the bus is full, you can tisk. OR, tisking can be a good thing. If something is VERY nice and people don't comment, you can tisk to mean something is good. Logical, right....?

5) Hissing: This is actually a bit rude, but a way for people to get each others' attention. For example, I've been walking in a market and a guy behind me with a wheelbarrow has hissed at me to get my attention so I could get out of the way.

6) Clicking: This is a Kenyan habit that I'm not happy I've picked up on, and probably will be the most confusing for people when I come home. When someone does something you don't like, you can click at them. Think of the clicking noise you would make to call a horse, but only do it once. I don't like this one, but unfortunately have picked up on it. So if you do something I like back home, watch out for that click! It's happening!

7) Me, I....: This is the one that always cracks me up, and I have yet to pick up on. Kenyans like to say, "Me, I something...." For example, someone might say "Me, I didn't go to school yesterday." Or "Me, I'm thinking I'll leave at 5:00." My favorite response to this to ask if they can do or not do something twice. For example, if someone says "Me, I didn't like the food last night," I'll respond with "You didn't like the food twice? You, you didn't like the food? How does that work?" I hope to not pick up on this saying.

So yea, these are a few of the things that I've noticed and picked up on in the past few months. So if you hear me say or do something and don't get it, let me know. It's probably just Kenyan.