Publication: Uundaji, udumishaji na mabadiliko ya leksimu katika Sheng’ ya Matatu
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2016-11
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
This study is a textual analysis of Sheng’ used in the matatu business in Kenya, a business
that is prevalent all over the country. This research concentrated on Nairobi, its environs
and Thika where Sheng’ use is common. The texts were analysed to show lexicalization,
institutionalization and deinstitutionalization of matatu Sheng’. The aim was to expound on
word formation in Sheng’used in public service vehicles, how the new lexical items are
institutionalized and some are later dropped from the Sheng’ used in public service
vehicles lexicon thus becoming deinstitutionalized. Primary data consisted of spoken,
written texts and interviews in the matatu plying the Thika-Nairobi route as well as
selected routes which includes Githurai, Dandora, Mathare, Kariobangi, Shauri Moyo,
Mbotela, Jericho, Maringo, Eastleigh and Buruburu. The researcher and research assistants
listened to utterances and interviewed the matatu crew and the passengers of the sampled
matatus. The researcher also recorded the written texts displayed in the matatu. Guided by
the lexical semantics theory, notably the tenets of lexicalization, institutionalization and
deinstitutionalization as advanced by Lipka (1990), the researcher analysed the data
collected from the field. The research identifies different methods of word formation in
Sheng’ used in public service vehicles. The research has dealt with lexicalization,
institutionalization and de-institutionalization in Sheng’ used in public service vehicles
without investigating the effects of institutionalization and de-institutionalization of this
variety of Sheng’. The researcher traced the origin of Sheng’ in reference to different
authors. It has been discovered that Sheng’ is used in different contexts in communication
including advertisements and Matatu transport. A short history of Lexical Semantic Theory
has been addressed including the concepts of lexicalization, institutionalization and deinstitutionalization
which were investigated in this research in reference to Lipka (1990,
1992, 2000, 2002, and Lipka & Falkner (2004). The research report has been presented in
form of tables and descriptive data analysis. The research identifies different methods of
word formation in Sheng’ used in public service vehicles. The methods includes,
borrowing and adaptation, truncation and reversing of syllables, prefixation, derivation,
coining, onomatopoeia and semantic expansion.
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Sheng’, Primary data