PhD Theses

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Browsing PhD Theses by Subject "African language"

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    The semantics of personal names among the kuria, iraqw and maasai
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Asheli, Nicholous
    This study concerned itself with the analysis of personal names and naming practices among the Kuria, Iraqw and Maasai with the aim of uncovering the semantics of personal names. The study was qualitative in approach. The objectives of the study included: to determine the criteria used by speakers of the studied languages in name assignment; to identify unique naming practices in the languages involved in the study; to identify the significance of recurring naming patterns across languages; and lastly, to uncover the semantic principles guiding name choice and assignment. The study was done in Tarime, Mbulu and Ngorongoro where native speakers of Kuria, Iraqw and Maasai are respectively found. The data were collected through in-depth interview and the results were analysed qualitatively and thematically based on Cognitive Semantics approach. The findings reveal that there are naming patterns that are shared across languages and those that are unique to each individual language. It is basically revealed that principles governing personal names can be shared irrespective of language family membership. It is generally concluded that naming practices are principled and they are likely to be shared if the domains employed are the same irrespective of language family membership. So, what matters is the criteria used in name choice. Further research is recommended on naming practices involving other languages to see whether the principles and patterns employed are the same. Involvement of four language families found in Tanzania may be done to see how naming practices are.