Principles Governing Meaning Discrimination in Kiswahili Monolingual Dictionaries
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Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Dar es salaam
Abstract
Principles Governing Meaning Discrimination in Kiswahili Monolingual Dictionaries
Elvila lupenza
Master arts (linguistics)
University of Dar es salaam, College of Humanities, 2019
This study analyses the principles governing meaning discrimination in Kiswahili monolingual dictionaries since there are some differences in the way they have entered homonymous and polysemous words in KKS and KKK. By using Generative lexicon theory (pustejovsky, 1996) and Cognitive Semantic Approach (Langacker,2008) the study assesses the extended meaning in relation to the principles used in discriminating homonyms and polysems in two Kiswahili monolingual dictionaries i.e Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu(KKS) (TUKI,2013) and Kamusi Kuu ya Kiswahili (KKK) (BAKITA,2015).Data for the present study were obtained through semi-structured interviews and documentary reviews. The sample involved in this study constituted 20 respondents includes 4 lexicographers, 14 undergraduate students and 2 Kiswahili non-native speakers. The data obtained where analysed by using thematic analysis approach where principles of meaning discrimination were described in relation to the meaning given in both KKS and KKK. The findings of this study indicated that discrimination of homonyms and polysems in Kiswahili dictionaries is problematic. Some lexical items are entered as polysems in KKK unlike in KKS which is contributed by an overreliance on some principles of meaning discrimination and ignoring other principles. The improper treatment of the lexical items has added another challenges on assigning etymological information. For example, the same word may be indicated as having English orign in one dictionary while in another dictionary, it is described as having originated from Arabic. Furthermore, the findings show that both KKS and KKK used etymological principle, markedness principle, entral-periphery principle and frequency of usage principle. Word category and noun class criteria were exhaustively observed only in KKS. The findings of this study also indicated that dictionary users are capable of recalling meanings of polysems compared with homonyms. Therefore, findings of this study point to a conclusion that an overreliance and inconsistency of applying the principles of meaning discrimination contribute to the challenge of entering homonyms and polysems in Kiswahili monolingual dictionaries
Description
Available in print form, East Africana collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, class mark (THS EAF PL8701, 2.T34L874
)
Keywords
Swahili language,, Encylopedias and dictionaries,, Tanzania
Citation
Lupenza, E (2019)Principles Governing Meaning Discrimination in Kiswahili Monolingual Dictionaries,Masters Dissertation,University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam.