Language Crimes

The Grammar and Vocabulary of Hate Speech in Kenya

Abstract

This study examined utterances, public documents, political statements, and data from Kenyan local languages with the view of explaining the phenomenon of hate speech. Using Van Dijk’s Socio-cognitive approach to discourse, the study found that hate speech is perpetrated through grammatical and lexical manipulations. With regard to grammatical choices, the study found that speakers of different communities appropriated morphological particles and demonstratives which are used for normal communication to communicate a condescending attitude towards ‘other’ communities. The study also found that each of the communities had a ‘hate speech’ inventory from which its speakers drew the disdainful words when they wanted to communicate hate messages. Some of the words included names of places, animals and plants. In addition, some of the hate speech messages were communicated through similes and metaphors. Noticeably, when some of the denigrating words became known to the targeted groups, their meanings were expanded as a means to camouflage the hate message. The paper concludes that given the extent to which hate speech is embedded in both the vocabulary and grammar, there is need for linguists to be involved in the resolution of such cases.