Morpho-semantic analysis of contemporary Swahili speakers’ linguistic innovations on microloan names

Abstract

Many studies on names have investigated the naming of people, plants, places, and inscriptions on transport facilities. However, very little is currently known about the naming of microloans, their connotations, and morphology. This article studied the Swahili speakers’ construct and connotations of microloan names in Tanzania. Data for this article was randomly generated from social media platforms, online newspapers, YouTube TV channels, and interviews with some debtors. Drawing on onoma-pragmatic approach in the semantic analysis of data, the findings show that the microloan names connote loan disbursement, loan repayment, loan goals, and loan adversities. Regarding the shapes of the microloan names, compounding, associative constructions, context-borrowing, and reduplication methods are the notable linguistic methods employed in the creation of the loan names. Essentially, this article unveils the Swahili speakers’ linguistic innovations on the creation and semantic connotations of the microloan names which reflect diverse experiences. Furthermore, it calls for the respective authorities to regularly review the interest rates charged by informal credit providers so as to create favourable conditions for both—moneylenders and borrowers.

Keywords:

• Kausha damu ‘drain blood’
• mikopo umiza ‘exorbitant loans’
• microloans
• naming
• Swahili
• Tanzania

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Jeroen van de Weijer, College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

SUBJECTS:

• Economics
• Language and Linguistics
• Literature

Acknowledgements

I am sincerely grateful to Happylight Lyimo, and Selina Wayimba, from Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) for their invaluable assistance in data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare there is no Complete of Interest at this study.

Notes

1 https://www.mwananchi.co.tz/.

2 https://timesmajira.co.tz/.

3 https://www.ippmedia.com/en.

4 https://www.youtube.com/@millardayoTZA.

5 https://www.youtube.com/@Mwananchidigital.

6 https://www.youtube.com/@TimesMajiraTv.

7 https://www.youtube.com/@azamtvtz.

8 https://www.youtube.com/@ITVTanzaniaTz.

9 In some ethnic societies in Tanzania such as Makonde, and Zaramo, young girls, after primary education, are taken away from home for few months for cultural rituals. In these rituals, the girls are taught how to take care of themselves, their future husbands, sexual intercourse, and how to raise a family. The final day is the celebratory one popularly known as kumtoa mwali ‘lit. to unveil a potential wife’ in public.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emmanuel Ilonga

Emmanuel Ilonga is a lecturer in linguistics at the Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE)—a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Dar es Salaam, and MA (linguistics) from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. He teaches linguistics courses that relate to phonology, syntax, morphology, and semantics. His research interests are in Bantu linguistics, onomastics, linguistic landscape, foreign language learning, translanguaging, sociolinguistics, and semiotics. Some of his recent publications include ‘Complementarity of communicative modes on meaning making in Tanzania’s digital telecom marketing: A social semiotic multimodal perspective’, Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, volume 40(1), 2022; ‘Lexical Innovation through Swahilisation of English Lexicon in Online Advertisements’, Utafiti Journal, volume 17, 2022; and ‘Linguistic innovations in a multilingual digital advertising context in Tanzania: a translanguaging perspective’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2023.