Linguistic variations among dialects of Kirombo
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Date
2023
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The University of Dodoma
Abstract
This study investigated the linguistic variations among dialects of Kirombo. It specifically examined the phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactical, and semantic variations, and explored the sources of linguistic variations among dialects of Kirombo. The study employed a qualitative approach to collect data from four divisions of Rombo District, namely, Useri, Mashati, Mkuu and Mengwe. Non-probability sampling procedure was used in the whole study to select Rombo District and the four divisions, households and informants for the interviews and elicitations. The sample size for the study was 45 informants who were determined by saturation point. Informed by Labov’s Variationist Theory, data were gathered through interviews and elicitations. Data were analysed through Praat Software, lexicostatistics, parsing, and thematic coding approach. The findings revealed that sound variations, tone, length and intensity are the main phonological aspects through which these dialects vary. The present continuous tense marking morphemes also lead to variations at the morphological level while 10.2% of the studied words are lexically different. At the syntactic level, all dialects of Kirombo are similar in word order for declarative, negative and interrogative sentences with SVO constructions. On the other hand, various semantic fields have shown variations in some dialects, and different taboo words have shown variations in their meaning. Furthermore, the Mangi ruling systems and enmity, nature of geographical areas, social beliefs, distance and origin of elders were revealed to be the sources of linguistic variations among Rombo speakers. The study recommends linguists to conduct research on other Bantu languages that have not been extensively researched, particularly, on the aspects of linguistic variations to enrich the Bantu languages’ body of knowledge.
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Dissertation (MA Linguistics)
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Citation
Julius, A. T. (2023). Linguistic variations among dialects of Kirombo, (Master'dissertation). The University of Dodoma.