Assessing Attrition of Terms of Traditional Culture among Kara Young Adult Native Speakers in Tanzania
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Published:
Dec 31, 2024
Keywords:
Attrition, Indigenous Knowledge, Middle-Aged and Old Adults, Native Lexicon, Young Adults
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Abstract
This study assesses attrition of native lexicon among Kara young adult native speakers in the context of intensive borrowing of Swahili-L2 vocabulary by focusing on extent, type of indigenous knowledge vulnerable to attrition and observed factors for attrition. The study is qualitative using case study design and purposive sampling through administering multiple performance tasks. It involves 30 participants in two age categories, collecting oral data that is first transcribed and then organised in thematic chunks for analysis. Descriptions are also essential for illustrations. The finding reveals attrition in a wide range of native lexicon. This attrition is not total erasure but rather inaccessible lexical memory. Arithmetic, finger names, wind types, local tools, artefacts, and disappeared objects are the most attriting aspects of indigenous knowledge compared to kinship terms, body parts and immediate objects and concepts relevant to contemporary use. Swahili has much influence on Kara-L1spakers leading to infrequent use of Kara terms for some objects and concepts. This study recommends more research on attrition in native environment especially in intense contact areas.
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Mlibwa, M. M., & Sam, Z. E. (2024). Assessing Attrition of Terms of Traditional Culture among Kara Young Adult Native Speakers in Tanzania. ALTRALANG Journal, 6(2), 257-271. https://doi.org/10.52919/altralang.v6i2.484
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LICENSE: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license
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References
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• Utamwa. J. A. (2016). The influence of formal education in first language attrition among Gogo Speakers [Unpublished M. A Dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam]. University of Dar es Salaam Library.
• Ventureyra, V. & Pallier, C. (2004). In search of the lost language; The case of adopted Koreans in France. In M. S. Schmid, B. Köpke, M. Keijzer, and L. Weilemar (Eds.), First Language Attrition; Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Methodological Issues (207-221). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
• Au, T. K., Knightly, L. M., Jun, S. A., & Oh, J. S. (2002). Overhearing a Language during childhood. Psychological science, 13, 238–243. 37thAnnual Conference on African Linguistics; Doris L. Pyne and Jaime Pãna, (eds.) 43-54. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
• Bardovi-Harling, K. & Stringer, D. (2010). Variables in Second Language Attrition; Advancing the State of the Art. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(1), 1-45. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44488093
• Bradshaw, S. & Odom, S. (2017). The sociolinguistic survey of Kara and Kerewe people. SIL electronic survey report 2017- 0002. http://www.sil.org˃reapdata˃silesr2017_0002
• Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic Analysis. In, H. Cooper, P.M. Camic, D.L. Long, A.T. Panter, D. Rindskopf and K.J. Sher (Eds.), APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology; Research Design; Quantitative, Qualitative Neuropsychological and Biological (pp. 57-71). Washington DC.
• Cherciov, M. (2011). Between attrition and acquisition: The dynamics between two languages in adult migrants [PhD Thesis, University of Toronto]. University of Toronto Research Repository.
• De Leeuw, E. (2009). When your native Language sounds foreign; A phonetic investigation into first language attrition [PhD thesis, Queen Margaret University]. Queen Margaret University Research Repository. http://etheses.qmu.ac.uk/119/
• Killian, D. (2009). Khoemana and the Griqua: Identity at the heart of phonological attrition (Unpublished M.A thesis, University of Helsinki). University of Helsinki Research Repository. https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/publications/khoemana-and-the-griqua-identity-at-the-heart-of-phonological-att
• McGregor, K., N. Munro, S.M. Otten, E. Baker & I. Oleson (2018). Cultural influences on the developing semantic lexicon. Journal of Child Language, 45(6), 1309-1336.
• Moreno, S. A. (2015). Attrition of English as a consequence of the influence of Spanish. UAB.
• Msuya, E. A. (2021). Swahili use as a factor for first language attrition among Chasu speakers. Swahili, 84(2), 275-287. http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ksh/article/view/226144
• NBS (2022). Tanzania 2022 population and housing census. Dar es Salaam.
• Onditi, T. L. (2016). Language attrition and loss of indigenous knowledge: The twin sisters of environmental degradation in Kenya. American Journal of Indigenous Studies, 1, A14-A23. http://www.asrareserach.org/ajis-vol-no-1-2016/
• Opitz, C. (2011). First language attrition in second language environment [PhD thesis, University of Dulbin, Trinity College]. University of Dublin, Trinity College; Centre for Language and Communication Skills. https://www.tara.tcd.ie/handle/2262/78154
• Pallier, C., S. Dehaene, J. Poline, D. LeBihan, A. Argenti, E. Dupoux and J. Mehler (2003). Brain imagining plasticity in adopted adults: Can a second language replace the first. Cerebral cortex, 13 (2), 155-61. Doi: 10.1016/s1053-8119(1)91925-1
• Paradis, M. (2004). Neurolinguistic Theory of Bilingualism. John Benjamins publishing Company. https://books.google.co.tz/
• Park, E. U. (2018). Language Attrition. In, J. I. Liontas (ed.). The TESOL Encyclopaedia of English Language teaching (first edition). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Doi: 10.1002/9781118784235.eel60843
• Pavlenko, A. (2004). L2 influence and L1 attrition in adult bilingualism. In, M. S. Schmid, B. Köpke, M. Keijzer & L.Weilemar (Eds.), First language attrition: Interdisciplinary perspectives on methodological issues (pp. 47-59). John Benjamins.
• Sands, B., Amanda, L. & Brugman, J. (2007). The lexicon in language attrition: The case of Nǀuu. In D. L. Payne and J. Penã (eds.), Selected Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference on African Linguistics (pp. 55-65). Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
• Schmid, M. S. (2002). First language attrition, use and maintenance: The case of German Jews in Anglophone Countries. Benjamins Publishing Company.
• Schimid, M. S. (2011). The theoretical significance of research on language attrition for understanding bilingualism. Selected papers on theoretical and applied linguistics, 19, (52-60). University of Groningen. https://doi.org/10.26262/istal.v19i0.5479
• Schmid, M. S. & Jarvis, S. (2014). Lexical Access and Lexical Diversity in first language attrition. Bilingualism: Language and cognition, 17(4), 729-748. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728913000771
• Sebina, B. (2014). First Language Attrition in the Native Environment. In C. Ciarlo and D. S. Giannoni (Eds.), Language Studies Working Papers, 6, 53-60.
• Utamwa. J. A. (2016). The influence of formal education in first language attrition among Gogo Speakers [Unpublished M. A Dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam]. University of Dar es Salaam Library.
• Ventureyra, V. & Pallier, C. (2004). In search of the lost language; The case of adopted Koreans in France. In M. S. Schmid, B. Köpke, M. Keijzer, and L. Weilemar (Eds.), First Language Attrition; Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Methodological Issues (207-221). John Benjamins Publishing Company.