SEMANTIC CHANGES IN BORROWED CORE VOCABULARY AND FREQUENTLY-USED WORDS BETWEEN DHOLUO AND EKEGUSII

Abstract

This study focuses on the borrowing of core vocabulary items and frequently used words between Dholuo and Ekegusii. The two languages are phylogenetically different. There are a number of similar core vocabulary items between the two languages. The similarity can only be explained in ways other than genetic relationship. Core vocabulary are words which belong to the domains that resist borrowing. They are words which refer to objects that accompany human beings independently of their specific environment. Frequently used words are stable and unlikely to slip into disuse leading to possible replacement through borrowing. The study is guided by the following objectives: to examine if core vocabulary are borrowable, to explain which speech community borrowed from the other, to establish whether the borrowed words retain their meanings in the recipient language. The research used two data collection tools: a questionnaire and an unstructured interview.  The unstructured interview targeted a different set of respondents. The purpose was to get a deeper understanding of some language phenomena which the questionnaire could not elicit such as the etymology of the words. A comparative analysis of the lexical items generated by the questionnaire was done using different parameters. The study used the Theory of Linguistic Interference.  This Theory considers borrowing as interference with the recipient language because of introduction of foreign linguistic features, the sociolinguistic history of the speakers, direction and extent of borrowing.   The findings proved the following: the similar lexical items were borrowed, Ekegusii borrowed the words from Dholuo, some of the words acquired new nuances of meaning in the recipient language. However, the key finding of the study is that contrary to what is in the literature, core vocabulary and frequently used words are borrowable. The finding is critical in accommodating a fresh sociolinguistic thought that all words, regardless of the domains, are susceptible to borrowing.