Centre of Communication Studies

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Browsing Centre of Communication Studies by Author "Joseph, Paul L."

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    Lexical-Semantic and Morpho-Syntactic Properties of English Loanwords in Sukuma
    (Stellenbosch University, 2018) Joseph, Paul L.
    This study investigates the lexical-semantic and morpho-syntactic properties of English loanwords in Sukuma in the domains of the Determiner Phrase DP, Inflectional Phrase IP and Derivational Phrase VP. The primary data of English loanwords in Sukuma were collected through audio-recordings of spoken discourse-pragmatic contexts and the method of introspection, in addition to consultation of relevant published sources. The researcher consulted Sukuma native speakers in the provision of additional data and for confirming the data collected. The data collected were analysed and examined invoking the broad framework of generative syntax, as postulated by Chomsky in the Government and binding theory (Chomsky, 1981a; Carnie, 2006; 2013) and Principle and Parameter Theory, with specific focus on Abney’s syntactic Determiner Phrase (DP) hypothesis, as proposed by Abney (1987). In the framework employed in this study, the generative syntax theory is complemented by perspectives from language typology as postulated by Greenberg (1963) and later developed by Croft, (2003) and Haspelmath, (2009), and the argument structure properties of verbs. The findings of the study demonstrate that English loanwords exhibit lexical-semantic and morpho-syntactic properties similar to inherent (i.e. native) Sukuma words. In the DP domain, English loan nouns are modified to conform to the Sukuma nominal morphology. Each English loan noun, for example, is assigned to a Sukuma noun class system exemplifying a noun class prefix. Furthermore, various inherent Sukuma nominal affixes are evidenced to occur with English loan nouns, similarly to inherent Sukuma nouns. The findings of the study give evidence that some of the English loan nouns in Sukuma undergo semantic broadening, semantic narrowing, or semantic shift, and that borrowed compound nouns are lexicalized in Sukuma. In regard to the IP and VP domains, the findings of the study give evidence that English loan verbs are modified for integration into the complex agglutinative Sukuma verbal morphology. For example, English loan verbs inflect for the three tense forms and they occur with various Sukuma verbal derivational suffixes, such as the applicative and causative, hence exhibiting the same morpho-syntactic properties similar so inherent Sukuma verbs. The findings of the study, however, demonstrate that some English loan verbs do not exhibit properties similar to inherent Sukuma verbs. It is argued that some English verbs are not accommodated fully in the Sukuma verbal system, possibly due to the typological difference between Sukuma and English. The resistant English verbs in regard to the integration in the Sukuma verbal morphology include verbs denoting human activities, such as eating, swallowing and crying. It is proposed in this study that English verbs borrowed in Sukuma, in most cases, are associated with the development of science and technology, and innovation, thus, express new concepts and entities of which did not previously occur in the lexicon of Sukuma.
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    Phonological, Morphological and Semantic Adaptation of Kiswahili Nouns into Kisukuma
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2012) Joseph, Paul L.
    This study addresses the phonological, morphological and semantic adaptation of borrowed Kiswahili nouns into Kisukuma. It aims at examining borrowed Kiswahili nouns into Kisukuma. It also seeks to identify and discover the phonological, morphological and semantic strategies that are involved in the adaptation of borrowed Kiswahili nouns into Kisukuma, and lastly, it assesses the impacts of borrowed Kiswahili nouns into the Kisukuma lexicon. Two approaches were used. These are Assimilation Theory and The Constraints and Repair Strategy theory. According to these theories, any borrowed word must conform into the recipient language by being assimilated into the system of the host language. Data collection was done using interviews, questionnaire, focus group discussion, observation and introspection methods. The findings show that the Kisukuma lexicon has been heavily influenced by Kiswahili. There are much more Kiswahili vocabularies in the lexicon of Kisukuma in different fields like education, agriculture, science and technology, sports, law, politics, among others. Moreover, the findings show that when borrowed Kiswahili nouns are adapted into Kisukuma, they are modified so as to conform into the Kisukuma system. This is done through several different phonological and morphological strategies that are used in the adaptation process. Semantically, some of the borrowed Kiswahili nouns are changed when they are adapted into Kisukuma. Some of the meanings of Kiswahili nouns are broadened, others are narrowed while other meanings incur a total meaning shift. Furthermore, the findings reveal that many Kisukuma speakers, especially the young generation and the elite ones, are using Kiswahili words in their conversation. As a result, most of the Kisukuma vocabularies are replaced by those of Kiswahili. Since this study focused only on one aspect, that is , only nouns, it is recommended that there is a need to conduct a study to investigate on the other aspects such as tense and aspect, adjective, inflectional morphology, derivational morphology among others because these are the issues not covered in Kisukuma, especially in Jidakama dialect.