The University of Dodoma University of Dodoma Institutional Repository http://repository.udom.ac.tz Humanities Master Dissertations 2018 Assessment of language endangerment in the Kinga speech community: Makete district - Tanzania Sanga, Edison The University of Dodoma Sanga, E. (2018). Assessment of language endangerment in the Kinga speech community: Makete district - Tanzania (Master's dissertation). The University of Dodoma, Dodoma. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/889 Downloaded from UDOM Institutional Repository at The University of Dodoma, an open access institutional repository. ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT IN THE KINGA SPEECH COMMUNITY: MAKETE DISTRICT - TANZANIA EDISON SANGA MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA OCTOBER, 2018 1 ASSESSMENT OF LANGUAGE ENDANGERMENT IN THE KINGA SPEECH COMMUNITY: MAKETE DISTRICT - TANZANIA BY EDISON SANGA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA OCTOBER, 2018 i DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT I Edison Sanga, declare that this dissertation is my own original work and that it has not been presented and will not be presented to any other University for a similar or any other degree award. Signature………………………………………………….. No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior or written permission of the author or the University of Dodoma. If transformed for publication in any other format shall be acknowledged that, this work has been submitted for degree award at the University of Dodoma. i CERTIFICATION The undersigned certifies that she has read and hereby recommends for acceptance by the University of Dodoma dissertation entitled Assessment of Language Endangerment in the Kinga Speech Community: Makete District Tanzania in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics of the University of Dodoma. Signature…………………………………………………….. Dr. Rafiki Yohana Sebonde (SUPERVISOR) Date…………………………………………………………. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my special thanks to the Almighty God for granting me good health, courage, inspiration and endless day to day blessings. However, there are several people to whom I am indebted for their wholehearted contribution in the successful accomplishment of this dissertation. To start with, I am forever grateful to my supervisor Dr. Sebonde Rafiki. She has been a tremendous mentor to me by her genuine criticism, advice and constant encouragement during the time of all stages of my work. She has also engaged me in new useful ideas and skills on the art of research. I have really benefited from her great support, without it the completion of this task could not have been possible. Besides my supervisor, I would also like to extend my gratitude to other lecturers in the department of foreign languages and literature at the College of Humanities and Social Science in the University of Dodoma from the core of my heart. First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. V. Lakshmanan, Dr. Biseko, J. M, Dr. Sane, Dr. Chrispina, A, Dr. Selestino, Dr. Stanslaus, Dr. Magashi and the whole management team of the University of Dodoma. Last but certainly not least, I would also like to express my appreciation to my fellow MA Linguistics students at the University of Dodoma 2016/2018. Their unforgettable cooperation both academically & socially has really provided me with an opportunity to learn many good things and put complex concepts into simple terms, this has made my coursework time to be an enjoyable moment. May the Almighty God bless you! iii ABSTRACT This study was aimed at assessing the trend of endangerment in the Kinga Ethnic language spoken at Makete District in Njombe Region Tanzania. The specific objectives of this study were; to evaluate intergenerational transmission of Kinga, to examine the attitude of Kinga speakers towards their own language as well as to assess the extent to which Kinga language is used in various domains. The study was guided by Language Vitality and Endangerment framework by UNESCO (2003) and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews and questionnaires from 132 respondents who were selected for the study. The findings of this study were according to UNESCO’s factor number 1, 4 and 8 for assessing language vitality and endangerment. Basing on the intergeneration transmission as factor number 1, Kinga language falls in grade 4 of unsafe languages, the language is used by some children in all domains; it is used by all children in limited domains. With reference to factor number four about shift in the domains of language use, the language falls in grade 4 of multilingual parity; it is used in most of the domains in combination with Kiswahili. Also, basing on the community members’ attitude towards their own language as factor number 8, Kinga language falls in grade 4 where most of the speech community members support language maintenance. Lastly, it was recommended that in order to rescue Kinga and other Tanzanian ECLs from shift and endangerment, the following have to be done; these Tanzanian Ethnic Community Languages have to be promoted and documented, also there should be the creation of new friendly language policies which must emphasize and allow the use of these language in various domains such as in media. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT ................................................................................... i CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. viii LIST OF GRAPHS ............................................................................................................... ix LIST OF MAPS .................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO THE STUDY...................... 1 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the Problem ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Research Objectives ......................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Research Questions .......................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Significance of the study .................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Scope of the Study ........................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Definition of Terms ......................................................................................................... 6 1.8 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW .... 8 2.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Theoretical framework ..................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 Intergenerational Language Transmission .................................................................... 9 2.1.2 Shift in the Domains of Language use ........................................................................ 10 2.1.3 Community Members’ Attitude towards their own Language ................................... 11 2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 13 2.2.1 Language endangerment ............................................................................................. 13 2.2.2 Community Members’ Attitude towards their Language ........................................... 15 2.2.3 Intergenerational Language Transmission .................................................................. 22 2.2.4 Shift in the Domains of Language Use ....................................................................... 26 v 2.2.5 Research Gap .............................................................................................................. 30 2.6 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................. 32 3.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................