Kihehe Noun Classification

This study is concerned with a descriptive analysis of the noun classes of Kihehe. The only study on this aspect of Kihehe grammar in existence is in German and is not yet translated into English. However, there are peculiarities so striking and so unlike the language spoken today that the author has felt it was appropriate in this study to work on this important aspect of language description in the light of recent research and approaches to linguistics analysis. This study describes the Kihehe noun classification and attempts to deal with various linguistic issues that are closely related to noun classification. A total of 34 respondents from Lukani, Pommerini, Kitowo, and Ukumbi village of Kilolo District in Iringa region participated in the study. The selection of the respondents was done using the random selection procedure. The study used interviews as a major technique of data collection. The present study reveals that, of all the criteria of noun classification, the combination of morphological and syntactic criteria is the best in Kihehe noun classification. Based on the morphological and syntactic criteria, Kihehe nouns can be grouped into 18 classes