Vuya uhodhe! Unpacking the Form and Content of Informal Traders’ Advertisements: A Submission from the Railway Siding Market Expedition in Masvingo

Abstract

This paper explores the linguistic repertoire of informal traders at the Railway Siding Market in Masvingo town, Zimbabwe. The researchers armed with notebooks, cell phones and video cameras recorded verbatim the advertisements on several days traversing the entire geography of the expansive market. The researchers did this in order to study the chosen phenomenon in situ observing the spirited advertising or the verbal gymnastics in the duel to bring bread and butter on the table. Interviews were also held with a few selected respondents. The paper argues that though the main activity engaged by the traders is a way to eke out a living and some may see their oral endeavours as nothing more than advertising, close scrutiny shows that those verbal efforts should be viewed as part of the rich African orature heritage adopting and adapting to a kaleidoscopic socio-politico-economic terrain. From the analysis of the linguistic data gathered one can witness a plethora of linguistic processes at play including borrowing, extension, narrowing, coinage, anti-language, among many. Also discernible from the code used and the material gathered and analyzed are the values, attitudes and stereotypes of the speech community which are discussed in this paper. This research explores the linguistic repertoire of informal traders at the Railway Siding Market in Masvingo town,Zimbabwe. The market is popularly referred to by Masvingo residents as 'Kuchitima' which literally means 'at the train station'. The word 'kuchitima' is borrowed from the English 'steam' which is the shortened form of 'steam engine'. The current market is not at the train station but is close to the railway line. The reason why the market is called 'kuchitima' is that the traders, who were mainly coming from farming communities along the railway line which connects Gweru town to Masvingo, conducted their business at the railway station. The farmers naturally prefer the railway mode of transport to others because it is much cheaper. The other big advantage for the farmers is that the train, which combines passengers and goods, arrives in Masvingo around mid-morning and departs for Gweru at about five in the evening. This is convenient for the traders who do not need to put up in Masvingo. However this also poses a challenge to the traders who need to quickly sell their wares in order to catch up with the train in the evening. The race against time also has an influence on the language used in order to ensure as quick a sale as possible. In an interview one second hand clothes vendor said that to ensure visibility by would-be customers the three 'directors' of this particular stall had to invest in a PA system. With this they took turns to lure customers by performing their impromptu verbal art which they spiced up with popular songs which was so polished that professional DJs would turn green with envy. The said train comes to Masvingo on every other day and this puts pressure on the traders who can therefore not afford to miss the return trip since that will mean staying put in town for two days eating into the meagre profit. Carrying left over goods back home is uneconomical since they would have to pay for the goods again. Initially the market was abuzz only on 'train days'. This has now changed. Traders from within and without town daily flock to the market which now boasts of a diverse range of goods which include new and second hand clothes, agricultural produce, solar panels, invertors, batteries, wild fruits, radios, cellular phones and accessories, cosmetics and a variety of meals, among many. These newcomers provide the original traders with a market for their goods as well as more competition since some of these at times buy goods cheaply from desperate farmers who need to return to the countryside and then resale these providing stiff competition to the 'migrant traders' hence there is a stampede to eke out a living at the market which has been extended by the city council several times to cope with the demand for space.