Swahili Loanwords in Jita: A Sociolinguistic Study of Patterns and Borrowing Factors

Abstract

The thrust of this paper lies in Swahili loanwords in Jita, with particular attention to sociolinguistic patterns and the factors influencing lexical borrowing. Jita is a Bantu language mainly spoken in Mara Region, Tanzania. While loanwords from languages such as Swahili, English, and neighbouring languages reflect historical, economic, and political influences, the specific motivations and sociocultural changes behind their adoption have not been thoroughly investigated in the language. In this regard, this study has identified the common lexical categories borrowed from Swahili into Jita, as well as the factors underlying this lexical borrowing. This study was guided by the interpretivism paradigm, and it employed qualitative descriptive design. The study employed convenience purposive sampling. The data was collected using non-participant observation and semi-structured interview to explore and thematically analyse Swahili loanwords in Jita and the sociolinguistic factors behind their borrowing. The findings were analysed using thematic analysis, in which the data were grouped according to their similarities (common borrowed words and factors) and sub-themes. In the first objective, the study revealed that in 1,000 Swahili loanwords studied in Jita, 684(68.4%) were nouns, 253(25.3%) were verbs, 34(3.4%) were adjectives, 24(2.4%) were adverbs, 4(0.4%) were conjunctions, and 1(0.1%) was a preposition. In this regard, the nouns and adjectives are the most borrowed words in Jita. The findings for the second objective highlighted that the primary reasons for borrowing in Jita include expressing new concepts and prestige, as Swahili holds more social prestige than Jita. The findings also show that cultural and economic interactions with other languages, particularly through Swahili and English, lead to lexical borrowing in Jita, introducing terms related to technology, trade, and social structures. The analysis dealt with the dynamic nature of linguistic evolution, emphasising factors such as cultural contact, socio-political influences, and technological advancements. The study recommends that future studies should investigate how globalisation and technological changes continue to affect lexical borrowing in Jita and other Bantu languages, encouraging cross-linguistic studies in African languages