A synchronic approach to kinyarwanda variation among its native speakers

Abstract

One of the important and good things for Rwanda is that its people share the same language which implies the same culture. Like many other languages, Kinyarwanda exhibits some variants but this does not impede communication among them. This paper examined Kinyarwanda variants among its native speakers. The question of sociolinguistics main concern is discussed here. Kinyarwanda language sound variants and differences in present verb tense markers based on region factor is discussed. Synchronic approach was used to cement discussion. The study stemmed from the interaction I have had with some of friends and colleagues from different parts of the country. When I usually heard some discussions at different occasions, like ceremonials, social media, meetings, churches and on road, I realized that Kinyarwanda, the only language common to all Rwandans, has some linguistic variations. It was demonstrated that accent from some areas in the northern and western parts of the country differs from the one used for academic and professional purposes. It was also found that like many other languages, Kinyarwanda is concerned with the sociolinguists’ belief that some polite language ranges among language variations since words mean different things to different people.