Education-induced borrowing in Tanzania: the penetration of Swahili nouns into Maa (Maasai) and Hadzane (Hadzabe)

Abstract

ABSTRACTLanguage contact in Tanzania is fostered by language planning policies which reinforce Swahili and English as official languages and Media of Instruction (Mol) in primary schools. Consequently, in rural areas, Swahili dominates ethnic community languages (ECLs) and impacts their lexicons. In most cases, additive borrowing is experienced because many new concepts penetrate into ECLs through Swahili. This article demonstrates how borrowed Swahili nouns penetrate into semantic fields related to the modem world, clothing and grooming, religion and belief, and agriculture and vegetation in Hadzabe and Maasai. Since Swahili penetrated into Maasai districts and Hadzabeland about a century ago, prevalent contact situations result in additive borrowing where Swahili nouns penetrate into the lexicons of Hadzane (Hadzabe) and Maa (Maasai). In addition, borrowed Swahili nouns are assigned to the gender and number systems in Hadzabe and Maasai. These are the main morphological changes which are addressed in this article.