Lexical change: a case of the Hehe language

Abstract

The article reports the results on the lexical change in Hehe, grounded in substratum theory. This exploration focused on the extent of lexical change. The qualitative data were collected in Kilolo District through reversetranslation and documentary-review methods. Forty-eight purposively selected informants were asked to interpret 120 lists of words and 10 phrases written in both English and Kiswahili. The qualitative analysis of the data, using descriptions, informants’ quotations and tables, revealed continuous lexical change in Hehe through time. The changes are both swift and sluggish. The results revealed that the Hehe language has undergone lexical borrowing, loss, replacement, maintenance and the change of meaning. The data obtained also revealed that lexical change is as a result of language contact. The non-linguistic factors are corrosion of generational transmission of the language, deterioration of socialisation intervals between elders and youths, education, and the advancement of science and technology. Every identified lexical change was classified based on its lexical class and other patterns. The lexical class with the highest number of affected items was the nouns. The authors opine that lexical change in Hehe language has been strongly affected by Kiswahili, the national language, as well as Bena and Kinga, the languages of neighbouring ethnic groups.