The acquisition order of Kiswahili grammatical morphemes in Kiswahili speaking children.

Earlier studies done in other languages have revealed that the differences in the order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes in the mother tongue and the target language can serve to explain the problems that children face in the course of learning the target language. This study intends to determine an order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes in Kiswahili speaking children using the order of acquisition of the same in English speaking children as a model. The methods used in order to achieve the objectives of the study were' both qualitative and quantitative. These methods used were manifested through the use of questionnaires and observation techniques in data collection. Four sets of questionnaires were prepared and administered to the research samples that comprised teachers, school heads/owners, parents and children. Observation method was used for the interactions that the children indulged in. One of the major findings of this study revealed that the order of acquisition of grammatical morphemes in Kiswahili speaking children differed from the order of acquisition of the same in English speaking children. Secondly, there were both individual differences and age related differences in the language development of children. Thirdly, the environment weighs on the child's acquisition of Kiswahili grammatical morphemes.