The status of ethnic community languages: a comparative study between endogamous and exogamous families in Dodoma municipality
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Date
2012
Authors
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Publisher
The University of Dodoma
Abstract
The study focused on the status of ECLs by making a comparative study between endogamous and exogamous families found in urban areas of Tanzania, in the Municipality of Dodoma. The study aimed at finding the truth on the assumptions that people who marry endogamously may maintain their languages since they mutually understand each other while those who marry exogamously might shift to the dominant languages since they do not share the same language. Primarily, the study firstly, addressed the question of language use in daily conversation within the two family groups; secondly, it examined the attitudes of the couples towards ECLs, Kiswahili and English; and thirdly, the study examined the extent of language shift and maintenance within the families.
Batibo‟s (1992) marked bilingualism model was used to guide this study. Purposive sampling technique was used to obtain the respondents whereby those visited were either endogamous or exogamous families. The target populations were the workers in four higher learning institutions of Dodoma Municipality. Instruments for data collections were questionnaire and interview. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches of data elicitation. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis whereas quantitative data were tabulated, computed and put into percentages.
Findings from the study revealed that, in the context of language use, both endogamous and exogamous families use Kiswahili in their daily conversation and for greeting each other and their children. Only minor exceptions were observed where some respondents use ECLs to speak with their parents and grandparents when they come to visit them in town.
The study revealed further that, respondents manifested positive attitudes towards ECLs, Kiswahili and English, even though Kiswahili seemed to dominate other languages for wider communication. The assumption put forward at the beginning of the chapter that endogamous families whose couples speak the same language might use and maintain their ECLs was found not to be valid. It was found in this study that, endogamous families use Kiswahili almost in all contexts except in few occasions. This signifies then that, as it was for exogamous families who use Kiswahili as a lingua franca, endogamous families have also shifted to follow them. Kiswahili was seen to overpower ECLs in all spheres of life in both endogamous and exogamous families.
So the study concluded that, there were no major perceived differences on the status of ECLs between the endogamous and exogamous families in terms of language use and attitudes. It was also noted that, the future of ECLs is in vain because they are not transmitted to children born in these two family groups. The children have nothing to inherit as their future identity and culture preservation. There will be a new generation of children who know nothing about ECLs, rather those who know Kiswahili and English languages only.
Description
Dissertation (MA Linguistics)
Keywords
Endogamous families, Exogamous families, Dodoma municipality, Tanzania, Ethnic community languages, Urban areas
Citation
Masinde, Y.N. (2012). The status of ethnic community languages: a comparative study between endogamous and exogamous families in Dodoma municipality. Dodoma: The University of Dodoma