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Programme: accepted abstracts

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Abstract ID: 427

Part of Session 123: Non-standard and youth varieties in urban Africa (Other abstracts in this session)

Morphological structures of verb-phrases in 'Town Bemba' of the Copperbelt, Zambia

Authors: Kabinga, Moonde
Submitted by: Kabinga, Moonde (University of Cape Town, South Africa)

Town Bemba (TB) is an urban variety spoken in the townships of the Copperbelt province, Zambia. For many years, its status has been unclear in its descriptions, as no specific framework had been used in characterising the language variety. Early on, it was perceived as a ‘secret language’ or ‘mixed jargon’ used by male migrant workers on the Copperbelt mines. However, it is currently being used by all, but mainly by male and female youths, and also tends to be used as first language (L1) by offspring raised there. This paper notes some significant differences between TB and Standard Bemba (SB) as well as Tsotsitaal from South Africa, through linguistic markers and style of speech.

 

This research draws its data from primary and secondary resources. A non-probability judgemental sampling method was used for primary data which involved one-on-one interviews with the researcher and 20 informants on the Copperbelt. Thus, 10 were TB speakers from the general public and the other 10 were SB speakers from two local television and radio station in Zambia (ZNBC and Icengelo). All interviews were recorded as voice using a digital recorder and lasted about 45 minutes. The researcher used a “Labovian” model technique of sociolinguistics which uses open-ended type of interviewing, so as to allow the conversations to flow naturally. Secondary data involved the use of two popular Bemba local music lyrics from Zambia. Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame Model (MLF) was adopted for Morpho-syntax data analysis.

 

Results showed that TB is quite similar to the base language SB in its morphological structures despite differences in morpheme combinations due to borrowing and assimilation of foreign words, sounds and expressions from English mainly and other local languages, coining new terms. It also seems to overlap in some features with Tsotsitaal but the two are not the same. In this regard, I suggest that TB be referred to as another type of an informal urban youth variety that is as a result of urbanisation and modernisation, which is moving towards being a new language because it is more than a ‘stylect’ (Hurst 2008).

 

References

 

Hurst, Ellen. 2008. Style, structure and function in Cape Town Tsotsitaal. Unpublished thesis. Department of Linguistics, University of Cape Town.

 

Kashoki, E. Mubanga 1972. Town Bemba: A sketch of its main Characteristics. In African Social Research No. 13, June. Manchester University Press for Institute of African Studies.

 

 

Kiessling, R. and Mous, M. 2001. Urban Youth Languages in Africa. Paper presented at the conference on Language, Migration and the City, November 22-24, 2001. Bayreuth: University of Bayreuth.

 

 

Labov, William.1972a. Language in the Inner City. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania

 

 

Myer-Scotton, C. 2002. Contact Linguistics; Bilingual Encounters and Grammatical Outcomes. Oxford: University Press.

 

Ogechi Nathan Oyori. 2005. On Lexicalization in Sheng. In Nordic Journal of African Studies 14(3): 334-355 (2005). 

 

 

Spitulnik, Debra. 1998. The Language of the City: Town Bemba as Urban Hybridity: In Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 8(2):30-59.

 

Thomason, G. Sarah. (ed.). 1996. Contact Languages: A wider perspective. Amsterdam/ Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.