Assessing speakers' tolerance for swahili-translated, university-related neologisms in Tanzania
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Date
2024-07-31
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
In this chapter, the author assesses speakers’ tolerance for Swahili-translated university-related neologisms from English in Tanzania. Swahili has recently gained prominence in Tanzanian universities, becoming the language of research. Also, the names of various academic units and programmes are named in Swahili as well. However, what requires further assessment is how much speakers prefer to descriptively use Swahili-translated words. The study is guided by Optimality Theory (OT) and is supplemented by Keller’s (1994) concept of hypermaxim, suggesting that speakers generally opt for simple forms so that they do not expend superfluous energy. In this regard, the simpler the translated word is, the more tolerance it yields. Data were collected through observation, documentary review, interviews and questionnaires. The findings reveal that the university speech community under investigation displays a notably low tolerance against Swahili-translated neologisms. This is evident in speakers’ preference for English neologisms and their outright resistance and/or dissatisfaction against Swahili-translated neologisms. Speakers’ low tolerance for Swahili-translated neologisms is influenced by factors such as the historical dominance of English and the techniques used in translation. Given that this study has highlighted the impact of translation techniques on speakers’ tolerance, it recommends further investigation into the realm of translation professionalism.
Description
Book chapter on Language incompatibility
Keywords
Language incompatibility, Swahili- translated, Neologisms, Tanzania