The Spread of Kiswahili Lexis into the Interior Bantu: The Case of Names of New World Cereals and Tubers in Tanzanian Bantu

Abstract

The paper articulates incorporation of Kiswahili names of New World crops into Tanzanian Bantu languages. The paper wants to testify that names of these crops portray a case of contact between Kiswahili, Arabic, Portuguese and interior Bantu. Findings demonstrated that Mt. Kilimanjaro Bantu (Kimeru, Kimachame, Kipare etc.) and Lake Victoria Bantu (e.g. Kinyambo, Kijita, Kiruuri etc.) have massive borrowings from Kiswahili: liyalage [<maharage] ‘beans’ muchere [<mchele] ‘rice/paddy’, mwookô [<mihogo] ‘cassava’ etc. The Lake Corridor Languages (Kinyamwanga, Kinyakyusa, Kindali etc.) borrowed from Zambian and Malawian Bantu languages: amasyabala ‘peanuts’, chilemba ‘beans’, chilombe ‘maize’ etc. Alternatively, semantic adjustment of names occurred, e.g. itama = maize plant, -emba = sorghum, liligwa = maize, cassava etc.

Ikisiri

Makala hii inaelezea namna majina ya Kiswahili ya mazao yanavyotoholewa katika lugha mbalimbali za Kibantu nchini Tanzania. Makala hii inathibitisha kuwa majina ya mazao haya yanasaidia kuthibitisha mwingiliano baina ya Kiswahili, Kiarabu, Kireno na lugha nyingine za Kibantu. Utafiti unaonesha kuwa lugha za ukanda wa mlima Kilimanjaro (mfano, Kimeru, Kimachame, Kipare) na lugha za ukanda wa Ziwa Viktoria (mfano Kinyambo, Kijita, Kiruuri nk.) zimetohoa majina ya Kiswahili kama vile liyalage [<maharage] ‘maharage’ muchere [<mchele] ‘mchele/mpunga’, mwookô [<mihogo] ‘mihogo’ nk. Lugha za Ukanda wa Maziwa¹ (mfano Kinyamwanga, Kinyakyusa, Kindali) zimetohoa kutoka lugha za Zambia and Malawi: amasyabala ‘karanga’, chilemba ‘beans’, chilombe ‘mahindi’ n.k. Wakati mwingine, mabadiliko ya kisemantiki ya maneno asilia yanatokea ili kubeba dhana ya majina ya mazao mapya kama vile itama = mahindi, -emba = mtama, liligwa = mahindi, mihogo n.k.