ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a preliminary survey of the Asian or Indian population of Nairobi with special reference to the distribution and use of languages in the Asian community. The Kenya Asian population is drawn largely from the middle levels of Indian society. There are a few Brahmins from the highest Hindu caste and a few Harijans or untouchables from the lowest, but the Asian population in East Africa is not a representative cross-section of the larger community in India. Linguistic diversity is a common phenomenon in India, and the situation in Nairobi, where many Asians have four or five functionally distinct languages, is no exception. English is also used in private contexts, notably in Goan households. The Goans have been exposed to European models through the Portuguese and through the Catholic Church for a much longer period than any other Asian group, and they are the most Westernized section of the Asian community.
