Borrowing of Swahili lexicon in Ichikwa, a dialect of Fipa

The study examined the phenomenon of lexical borrowing from Swahili into Ichikwa. It identified the lexical items borrowed from Swahili and the motives for borrowing. It showed the integration of the borrowed words and the impacts of borrowing on Ichikwa lexicon. The study used purposive and simple random sampling methods. The data were collected from three villages: Muze, Kalumbaleza and Mtowisa, all of which are found in Sumbawanga Rural District along Lake Rukwa. The data were collected through focus group discussion, observation, texts and a wordlist from Languages of Tanzania Project (LOT) and they were qualitatively analyzed. The study was guided by the Assimilation Theory and Wave Theory. The study revealed that Ichikwa has borrowed many words from Swahili and that the borrowed words undergo some phonological and morphological changes in order to be integrated into the system of Ichikwa. The study identified two motives for borrowing words; to fulfil a need and for prestige. It was found that borrowing from Swahili has enriched the lexicon of Ichikwa. On the other hand, there is an alarming danger of the disappearance of some Ichikwa vocabulary. It is recommended that further research should be conducted to investigate the influence of Swahili on other dialects of Fipa.