A Philosophical Analysis of the Power of Language and its Role in National Cohesion: Stereotype of 'Bunyon' among the Kalenjins

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: Scholarly Paper, Moi University, language: English, abstract: ABSTRACT Language is a great asset that God gave to human beings. Language has power to heal and destroy the entire universe. Thus it is imperative that good use be made of it. We use language in diverse ways (to write, speak, reason, abuse, curse etc). Linguists argue that the primary function of language is to formulate and convey information about the world we live in. In other words, language is a very crucial tool in our daily lives. We live and act because of language. The paper philosophically analyzed the power of language in society, and suggested possible ways that can boost peace and cohesion in a cosmopolitan society, such as Kenya. The study focused on the concept of bunyon among the Kalenjins and by extension other ethnic communities of Kenya. Purposive and random sampling methods were employed to identify the study population of 29 informants. Data was collected through oral interviews.

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