Abstract
Unlike many onomastics studies which focus on meanings of names and circumstances surrounding the way they are assigned, this study uses names as a prism for investigating the effects of multilingualism, history, education and Christianity on the Bakalanga naming practices and identity formation. The data used in the study indicates that the names used by the Bakalanga ethnic group are drawn from various languages (Ikalanga, Setswana, Shona, Ndebele, English) and reflect various socio-cultural and religious practices found in the region. The names point to a cosmopolitan and transitory society whose names and identities are very much responsive to changes in language use, socio-cultural and historical links and connections. Such an investigation and analysis of names is meant to further elucidate the far reaching effects of multilingualism which include bilingualism, acculturation, language attitude and shift. Further, the study is meant to present names as evidence or a map of a community’s historical, social, cultural and linguistic course.
Highlights
Mphande (2006, p.104) states that among many African cultures a name tells a lot about the individual that it signifies, the language from which it is drawn and the society that ascribes it
In order to investigate multilingualism the names are categorized into different languages: Ikalanga, Setswana, other African languages and English names
The names are drawn from various languages such as Ikalanga, Setswana, English, Ndebele, Shona and other African languages
Summary
The Bakalanga, who are the second largest ethnic and linguistic group in Botswana, have a population of about 150 000 people. The ancestors of the Bakalanga are believed to be the Balilima and Varozvi of Zimbabwe and the Bapedi and Bakaa of Transvaal (Tlou and Campbell 1997, p.128).The Bakalanga are a mixture of people from distinct ethnic groups which include Rolong, Pedi, Senete, Shona, Nswazwi, and Wumbe who came together three hundred years ago and settled in Botswana. They speak Ikalanga, a Niger Congo language. Giles and Powesland hypothesize that people who are high on a scale of need for social approval are more likely to accommodate than those with a low need
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