Kisisi (Our Language)

Reviews / Votes

"Kisisi braids brilliant linguistic analysis with compelling critical ethnography. A gifted storyteller, Gilmore offers stunning scholarship contesting child language theories and reflecting on the dynamics of stark structural Kenya colonialism." Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Critical Psychology, The Graduate Center, CUNY "A story, lovingly told, of two boys' exceptional friendship in a colonial setting. A remarkable example of linguistic practice as emergent in, and inseparable from, the relationships and activities it serves."Penelope Eckert, Professor of Linguistics, Stanford University "A thoroughly unique and artfully crafted documentation of children's creativity at work in inventing a new pidgin language and agency in resisting prevailing language ideologies." Marjorie Harness Goodwin, Professor of Anthropology, UCLA "Kisisi (Our Language) is a unique and invaluable account of how two five-year-old boys--one Kenyan, one American--created a spontaneous pidgin. Incisive and poetic, it's part linguistic analysis, part gripping story of culture contact, part deeply moving memorial to a life tragically cut short. This book will fascinate and move anyone interested in language, children, or human experience." Deborah Tannen, University Professor, Georgetown University