JOPOL 4(2021)

Tomorrow Means No: The Transfer of Swahili Linguistic Practices into Tourist Settings
Angelika Mietzner

Abstract
This contribution aims to provide an innovation in the field of studies on the transfer of linguistic practices. It explores the transmission and application of cultural concepts from one space to another, in contexts where the purpose of this transmission is to maintain the courtesy inherent in speech at the recipient site. The two spaces are the beach and the village, and the research concentrates on the speakers in these spaces: the tourists at the beach, the Kenyan tourism workers at the beach and the Swahili speaking Digo community in a nearby village. In order to recognize the transmission of this concept, the use of polite communication practices at the beach must be explored; the minimum courtesies expected from Kenyan tourism workers on Diani Beach and how these demands are communicated to tourists must also be revealed. In order to work holistically on this aspect, an insight into the strategy of transferring cultural concepts from the village to the beach is necessary.

Keywords: Tourist encounters, politeness strategies, transmission of concepts, Kenya, greeting