Vocabulary as an indicator of dialectal mapping: the case of isiZulu in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This article describes the various vocabulary items as generally used in KwaZulu-Natal. It also focuses on challenges faced by dialectologists due to the increasingly elusive nature of languages today. This is evidently the case in this study on isiZulu, where vocabulary cannot categorically be pinned down to a specific geographical area. Each individual has his/her language repertoire and is, therefore, capable of changing this in various given contexts. This includes such language aspects as prosody, pitch, rhythm intonation, etc. The problem that dialectologists also face is compounded by the mobility of people today, largely for the purposes of employment. Here it becomes difficult again to locate and specify particular dialects and vocabulary to a specific area in people's everyday discourse. What the article attempts to do is essentially demarcate vocabulary items according to geographical locations. However, this too is fairly sketchy, as there is variability among language speakers or users in their interactions depending on their conversations and speech events. The conclusion drawn in this article is that isiZulu, like any other language, has variants but specific vocabulary marks each geographical area's identity. The study also shows respondents' ambivalence about choosing and adopting specific vocabulary that would be claimed to belong to a dialect that is common in isiZulu.