A Morphological Analysis of Borrowed Nouns from Luganda to Kupsabiny

Charles Kapkwomu Cherop, Janet Achieng’ Onyango and Joshua Itumo Mulinge
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Charles Kapkwomu Cherop: Department of Literature, Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Janet Achieng’ Onyango: Department of Languages and Literature, African Nazarene University, Kenya
Joshua Itumo Mulinge: Department of Literature, Linguistics and Foreign Languages, Kenyatta University, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 2, 4332-4341

Abstract: All over the world, there have been varied studies on tendency of languages borrowing concepts from other languages. This has always had a significant mark of enrichment in languages. The aim of this paper is to establish the impact of loanwords borrowed from Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda into Kupsabiny, a Southern Nilotic language in Uganda. Whereas studies have been conducted on the same that reveal that loanwords have been a major source of vocabulary expansion in Kupsabiny, the present study focuses on a morphological analysis of borrowed nouns by Kupsabiny language speakers from Luganda. This is done with an objective of examining the morphological and patterns exhibited by borrowed nouns; and determining the morphological processes engaged in the adaptation of nouns borrowed. The study employed a descriptive study design. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, with the aid of an interview schedule and audio tape recorder. Moreover, the targeted population was native speakers of the Kupsabiny language within the municipality of Kapchorwa District estimated at 12,399 in number. In addition, purposive sampling procedure was used to settle on a sample size of 50 informants. Thereafter, corpus of data collected were then analysed using Optimality Theory (OT) by Kager (1999). The findings reveal that Luganda borrowed nouns undergo morphological changes to conform to Kupsabiny’s noun class system. These findings are intended to shed light on the linguistic dynamics in language contact and adaptation. Consequently, the findings are also relevant to linguistics enthusiasts, language researchers, and those interested in the intricate workings of language borrowing and language change. The findings therefore seek to contribute to both empirical understandings of language borrowing and adaptation.

Date: 2025
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