School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Frederick Kang’ethe Iraki is a Professor of French at USIU-A and a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms in France. He holds an MPhil and a PhD in Cognitive linguistics (French) from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, an MA (Teaching of French as Foreign language) from the University of Toulouse, France. He collaboratively developed the first-ever Kiswahili Text to Speech System (TTS) for reading Kiswahili. He also designed the first Kiswahili Predictive text system for Zicorp (Canada). He is the Founder Editor of the Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jolte/article/view/182857 hosted by African Journals Online (AJOL) since 2008. Iraki is the President of the Kenya Kick Boxing Federation, the National Chairman of Harmony Institute & Chief Advisor to H.E. Dr. Alfred Mutua, Governor of Machakos County).

2.0 Academic Degrees

PhD in Cognitive Linguistics

MPhil in Cognitive Linguistics

MA (Teaching of French as a Foreign language)

BA (Teaching of French as a Foreign language)

3.0 Publications

3.1 Journal Articles

2013: Cross-cultural decoding of positive and negative nonlinguistic emotion vocalizations: in Frontiers. (co-author)

2011: Le Sheng et la patrimonialisation au Kenya in Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa (JOLTE):

2010: Language and Political economy: a Kenyan perspective (

2010: Self-Directed Learning at USIU. (co-author).

2010: Lessons learnt from the Post-Election Violence in Kenya: Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa (JOLTE):

2009: Youth, Creativity & Urban life: Lessons from Classics, Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa (JOLTE):

2007: The linguistic Parameter in the Preservation of Collective Memory: A Kenyan Perspective, Open University, UK.

2004: Cognitive Efficiency: The sheng phenomenon in Kenya: PRAGMATICS.

2004: Le Modéle de Conflit et les temps verbaux in Cahiers de Linguistique Francaise 25.

2004: Language and culture: a perspective: Wajibu, April.

2004: Some essential features in developing a Text to Speech System for Kiswahili, in Proceedings of Lisbon conference on Local Languages Speech Technology Initiatives. (co-author).

2004: Selection of phonetically balanced Sentences in a Concatenative Kiswahili Text to Speech System. (co-author).

2002: Le moment présent est une puissante déesse : Analyses 8.

2000 : Une interprétation pragmatique de na: Cahiers de Linguistique Francaise, 22.

2000: Une lecture pragmatique des morphèmes temporels me, li, ka : Analyses 7.

1998 : Le devenir du français dans l’enseignement supérieur au Kenya : Analyses 6.

1995 : L’enseignement du français au Kenya : Analyses

2014: Opportunities And Challenges Of Mobile Technologies In Higher Education Pedagogy In Africa: A Case Study Of United States International University In Kenya (IGI Global: USA). In press.

2013: The Change of Gikuyu Value Systems in Central Kenya: From Pre to Post Independent Kenya: Twaweza.

2013: Cross-cultural challenges in the Design and Delivery of Online Language Programs: IGI Global: USA.

2014: Media & Peace in Kenya (UNDP: in press)

2012: Culture, Identity & Sheng in Kenya (Ford Foundation: in press)

2011: The Cultural, Economic and Political Implications of New Media: A Case Study on Mobile Telephony among University Students in Kenya. IGI Global: USA.

2010 : Cross-media ownership and monopolization of public spaces in Kenya: Twaweza.

2006 : Les technologies de l’information et l’enseignement du FLE au Kenya: Le cas du WebCT à USIU.

2005 : Democracy and poverty in Africa: a Kenyan perspective: Adonis publishers, UK.

2003: A contrastive reading of temporal-aspectual morphemes in Swahili in Meaning through language contrast: Cambridge Papers: John Benjamins.

2003: Language and cognition: alienating democracy in Kenya: East African Human Rights Journal.

2012: Short story (Ngeta special) in a book collection Men Eyes Only

2011: 4 short stories: Jet d’eau, Ngeta special, Life, In A Running Ditch in Bangladesh: Authorme.com

3.2 Books

1992 : Parlons Français 2 : Kenya Institute of Education. (co-author)

1989 : Parlons Français 1 : Kenya Institute of Education. (co-author)

2006 : Research on French Teaching in Eastern Africa : ISBN 9966-947-03-5

2009 -date: Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa (JOLTE): 14 issues published.

3.3 Book Chapters

2014: Opportunities And Challenges Of Mobile Technologies In Higher Education Pedagogy In Africa: A Case Study Of United States International University In Kenya (IGI Global: USA). In press.

2013: The Change of Gikuyu Value Systems in Central Kenya: From Pre to Post Independent Kenya: Twaweza.

2013: Cross-cultural challenges in the Design and Delivery of Online Language Programs: IGI Global: USA.

2014: Media & Peace in Kenya (UNDP: in press)

2012: Culture, Identity & Sheng in Kenya (Ford Foundation: in press)

2011: The Cultural, Economic and Political Implications of New Media: A Case Study on Mobile Telephony among University Students in Kenya. IGI Global: USA.

2010 : Cross-media ownership and monopolization of public spaces in Kenya: Twaweza.

2006 : Les technologies de l’information et l’enseignement du FLE au Kenya: Le cas du WebCT à USIU.

2005 : Democracy and poverty in Africa: a Kenyan perspective: Adonis publishers, UK.

2003: A contrastive reading of temporal-aspectual morphemes in Swahili in Meaning through language contrast: Cambridge Papers: John Benjamins.

2003: Language and cognition: alienating democracy in Kenya: East African Human Rights Journal.

4.0 Teaching (courses taught)

French Language & Culture

French Literature

French Civilization

Basic Swahili & Culture

Francophone Literature

Pedagogy for Higher Education

5.0 Video (optional)