PHD-Department of English & Linguistics
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Gothic Imagination and Construction of Monstrous Bodies in Selected Fictional Works of Nnedi Okorafor(Kenyatta University, 2023) Sum, Robert Kipkoech; J. K. S. Makokha; Speranza NdegeThe Gothic writing has often been perceived as a form of Western fiction- making. This apparently is based on the fact that Gothic genre originated in Europe in the late eighteenth century, and has been widely exploited in the West (Europe and North America). Contrary to these assumptions, it can be confirmed that Gothic mode has indeed been appropriated by many non–Western fiction writers. An in-depth interrogation of the selected fictional works of Nigerian-American Nnedi Okorafor, namely Who Fears death, Akata Witch, The Book of Phoenix and Zahra The Windseeker reveals that she does indeed appropriate Gothic elements. This thesis seeks to portray how unique Gothic motifs like monstrosity, villainy, morality and others have been appropriated, transformed and complicated in Nnedi Okorafor’s selected novels. Some of the most enduring features of Gothic fiction addressed in this study are monster/monstrosity and oppression. A monster is presented either as a corporeal being that is grotesque, unnatural and often threatening or an individual whose conduct is adjudged inhuman, evil and subversive by a given society. There is a remarkable correlation between monster/monstrosity and oppression. An individual who is either considered nonconformist, or associated with evil risks being labelled as monstrous and thereby subjected to oppression. Equally, an individual, system or institution which subjects people to oppression is often portrayed as monstrous. The main objectives of this thesis therefore are: to explore the aspects of Gothic tradition in Nnedi Okorafor’s selected novels; critically examine significance of monstrous representation; and highlight the relevance of Gothic mode in delineation of ethno-racial realities of oppression in the selected Nnedi Okorafor’s fiction. This study adopted psychoanalytic theoretical postulations of Sigmund Freud Carl Jung, and Anna Freud to explain how monster and monstrosity is generated. Freudian concept of “dream work”, for instance, can be seen as possible explanation for creation of images of fantastic monsters and creatures found in Gothic fiction. This thesis finds that Nnedi Okorafor does indeed appropriate Gothic elements in her fiction. It also establishes that motif of monster/ monstrosity is a significant feature of Okorafor’s fiction and has been represented or presented variously. Lastly, this study finds that oppression is one of the key aspects of Okorafor’s fiction.Item The Phonology of Kenyan Sign Language (Southwestern Dialect)(Kenyatta University, 2017) Morgan, Hope E.; Rachel Mayberry; Sharon Rose; Farrell Ackerman; Karen Emmorey; Carol PaddenKenyan Sign Language (KSL) is a thriving national sign language used by tens of thousands of signers in Kenya, and which emerged out of two deaf schools in western Kenya in the early 1960s. In this thesis, I provide a thorough description and analysis of the basic phonological components of the KSL lexicon used in the southwestern region of Kenya (formerly south Nyanza Province). This phonological grammar of (SoNy)KSL makes contributions in three domains. In the descriptive domain, it provides a thorough report of the basic units in the main phonological parameters; i.e., Handshape (Ch. 4), Location (Ch. 5), and xxix Movement (Ch 6, 7), as well as the evidence for the distinctiveness of each unit. The description for Movement and Location are particularly noteworthy because those parameters have received less attention in sign linguistics in general compared to Handshape. In the methodological domain, the grammar is based on a KSL Lexical Database built for this project, in which over 50 phonetic characteristics of 1,880 noncompound signs were coded. This database is currently one of only a few such richly coded lexical databases of sign languages. In addition, this grammar employs a rigorous approach to determining lexical contrast, which has yielded a separate dataset of 461 minimal pairs (Ch. 3). This dataset is unique in sign linguistics and reveals patterns of lexical contrast that were not previously known—and which have generated new hypotheses about how lexical contrast may be constrained by degrees of visual similarity. Finally, this thesis makes a theoretical contribution by comparing how different models of sign phonology can account for sign types in KSL. By evaluating the explanatory power of the main theories of sign phonology on the basis of specific descriptive data, this thesis gives unique insights into the theoretical validity of these models. It also proposes modifications in some cases, especially with regard to how the Dependency Model (DPM) can account for the representation of movement features and their relationship to the timing tier. In addition, a new movement feature, [dispersed], is described and its implementation worked out in the DPMItem A morphophonological analysis of Oluwanga loanwords: an optimality theory account.(Kenyatta University, 2021-12) Odinga, Jeniffer Naika; Gerry Ayieko; Hildah KebeyaLoanword adaptations are driven by constraints that are part of the grammar of the native language. Despite this, fewer studies have investigated this phenomenon with respect to indigenous dialects of unrelated languages in Kenya. This study therefore intends to undertake a constraint-based morpho-phonological analysis of loanwords during Oluwanga/Luo contact. In this regard, the study will seek to identify and describe the sound adaptations in Oluwanga loanwords from Luo, establish and analyse the phonological processes at play in Oluwanga loanwords, investigate the phonotactics of Oluwanga that constrain borrowing from Luo, describe the morphological adaptations and morphotactics of Oluwanga that constrain borrowing and lastly establish the extent of Optimality Theory’s adequacy in explaining the morphological and phonological adaptations in Oluwanga loanwords. Optimality Theory as proposed by Prince and Smolensky (1993 and 2004) together with the Generalized Alignment Theory by McCarthy and Prince (1993a), will be used in this study. A descriptive linguistic field research design will be used to describe the morphological and phonological adaptation processes. Spoken data will be elicited through group discussion of pictures and unstructured interviews from 36 purposively sampled adults (eighteen males and eighteen females) who are native speakers of Oluwanga. This will be supplemented with participant observation and introspection. The study intends to use four research instruments: a tape recorder to record discussions and interviews, the pictures, field notes and unstructured interview schedule. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the existing literature on borrowing with respect to indigenous languages within the framework of Optimality theory.Item Towards Koineization of Kiswahili(Kenyatta University, 2021-08) Muhati, Likuyani Erick; Hilda Udali Kebeya; Kenneth K. NgureThe standard Kiswahili variety is a compulsory and examinable subject in Kenyan schools. Excelling in national examinations in Kiswahili, therefore, unlocks lucrative opportunities while failure entails missed opportunities for advancement. As a neutral code, standard Kiswahili is also considered the legally unifying national as well as official language. However, standard Kiswahili still remains virtually theoretical in Kenya. The spoken koine Kiswahili varieties, which often reveal the ethnicity of the speaker, are the more commonly used varieties in all the forty seven counties of the republic. This notwithstanding, there are scanty studies that have investigated koineization in Kiswahili. This sociolinguistic study hopes to contribute to the literature in this field. It is from this background that the study examined morphosyntactic change in the koine variety of Kiswahili spoken in the Luyia speaking Western Region of Kenya. The study adopted an eclectic approach with regards to theories whereby the four objectives were handled by three different theories. Thus, objectives one and two were guided by the Generative Morphological Theory (Hyman & Katamba, 2005), objectives three and four were guided by two theories: the Labovian Language Variation Theory (Labov, 2010) and the Social Psychological Theory (Giles & Billings, 2004). The first objective of the study sought to identify and describe the salient morphosyntactic features of koine Kiswahili variety in the Luyia speaking Western Region of Kenya while the second objective sought to establish how morphosyntactic features of the koine Kiswahili variety reflect the structure of their superstrate and their substrate languages. Qualitative linguistic descriptions were employed to examine change in the use of both nominal and verbal prefixes in the morphosyntactic structure of koine Kiswahili. The three linguistic variables that were examined reveal that the dominant Luyia language system prefixes have been transferred by Luyias into their spoken Kiswahili variety, thus, influencing its koineization. The diminutive prefixes {KHA-RU} are proposed as stereotypes of this variety of Kiswahili which is spoken by native Luyias. Fourteen other prefixes are proposed as indicators of the Kenyan regional nonstandard Kiswahili varieties. They include the other diminutive prefixes {KA-TU} and {KI-TU}, the augmentative prefixes {KU/GU-MI} and {LI-MA}, and the animate noun class prefixes {I-ZI}, [I-MA} and {MU-MA}. These results were complemented by quantitative analyses of the patterns of morphological change to meet requirements of objectives three and four. The third objective sought to find out the effects of sex and age of speakers on koineization of Kiswahili in the Luyia speaking Western Region of Kenya while objective four employed psychological information to determine the prevailing attitudes by native Luyias in the Luyia speaking Western Region towards both the standard and koine Kiswahili varieties. Thus, three morphosyntactic variables were correlated with social variables to find out the effects of sex, age and speaker attitudes on koineization of Kiswahili. Descriptive statistical analyses show that the Kiswahili variety spoken in this region is consisitently tilted in favour of koine Kiswahili with sex, age and speaker attitudes influencing morphosyntactic variation. Middle-aged male speakers were observed to use more of the simplified and disrupted animate noun class prefixes and the koine Kiswahili diminutive prefixes while middle-aged female speakers use more of the koine Kiswahili augmentative prefixes. Independent samples of the t-test revealed that the simplified and disrupted animate noun class prefixes and the koine Kiswahili diminutive prefixes were highly significant while the koine Kiswahili augmentative prefixes showed no statistically significant difference between the sexes. Speakers from two youthful age cohorts had the highest overall occurrence of koine Kiswahili variants in their speech while speakers from the middle-aged cohort showed average use of koine Kiswahili variants in their speech. Speakers from the older age cohort had a relatively higher incidence of koine Kiswahili variants than those from the middle-aged cohort. The comparison of the number of koine Kiswahili variants by age using the One Way ANOVA revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the mean scores of all the prefixes of the three linguistic variables across the four age speaker cohorts. Middle-aged male cohort speakers and the youthful age cohort speakers showed negative attitudes towards standard Kiswahili while middle-aged female cohort speakers rated it positively. The youthful age cohort speakers showed positive attitude towards koine Kiswahili while middle-aged female cohort speakers and the older age cohort speakers showed some ambivalence in their attitudes towards koine Kiswahili.Item Attitudes towards the Influence of Runyankore-Rukiga on Performance in English in Western Uganda Secondary Schools(Kenyatta University, 2021) John, Kintu; Purity M. Nthiga; James Maina NjiriThis study was carried out to establish the attitudes, views and experiences of key education stakeholders towards the interface of (RR) and English with respect to performance in English at UCE, the final examination at the lower secondary school level. It was carried out in Kabale District, western Uganda. The key stakeholders in this study included: education officers, head teachers, classroom teachers and the students. The study adopted a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative design. It had the following objectives: to establish the attitudes of education officers on the influence of RR on learners performance in English at UCE, to investigate the views of the teachers on their experience regarding the influence of RR on learners performance in English at UCE, to explore the thoughts of learners regarding the influence of RR on performance in English at UCE as well as to evaluate he learners performance in English at UCE in view of the interface between RR and English. The study was also guided by the Cross-linguistic Theory by Mitchel and Myles (2004) which emphasises the concept of transfer in language learning as well as Cummins‟ (1984) Hypothesis which emphasises language interdependence. Five major forms of data collection were used: interviews for education officers and head teachers, questionnaires for classroom teachers, FGDs for students, document analysis for UCE results as well as getting RR and non-RR students to do an English test for comparison of performance. The findings from the respondents, from the UCE records and those from the test have been presented and discussed in chapters four and five. In general terms, the study established that majority of the respondents: the education officers, the head teachers, the classroom teachers and the students held a positive attitude towards the influence of RR on performance English at UCE. This view was supported by the finding that students studying RR performed better in the English test administered in this study as well as in the UCE results for the three successive years: 2015, 2016 and 2017. It is, therefore, recommended that RR in particular and LLs in general should continue being taught in Ugandan secondary schools.Item Graphonological Study of Gĩkũyũ: An Optimality Approach(Kenyatta University, 2021) Kuria, Peter Mburu; Phyllis W. Mwangi; Kenneth NgureThis is a graphonological study of the Gĩkũyũ graphemic structure. The study sought to examine the extent to which the criteria for designing an orthography is observed, account for the graphemic structure of Gĩkũyũ using the Correspondence Theory, a sub-theory of Optimality Theory (OT), and evaluate the consequences of underrepresentation and overrepresentation of the orthography criteria on speakers and readers of Gĩkũyũ. Data was generated by respondents drawn from the five dialects of Gĩkũyũ, namely Gĩcũgũ, Mathĩra, Ndia, Northern Gĩkũyũ and Southern Gĩkũyũ. Each dialect produced six respondents, three males and three females, thus, a total of thirty respondents. They wrote translations of selected items from English to Gĩkũyũ to provide graphemic data. They then read their translations thus providing phonemic data. The phonemes and graphemes were pitted against the Principles of Orthography that underlie each criterion used in designing an orthography. To account for the graphemic structure, the data were analysed against OT constraints which were derived from the aforementioned principles. The findings include: the identification of hitherto unidentified vocalic concatenations; discovery of OT constraints that had not been used before; and, the establishment of Gĩkũyũ orthography as a deep orthography. The study recommends a phonetic study to establish the vowel space of Gĩkũyũ vowels, a revision of the Gĩkũyũ graphemic inventory so as to include the additional graphemes examined in this research, and, lastly, similar studies on Kenyan Bantu languages with a view of harmonizing their orthographies.Item A Morphophonological Analysis of Borrowed Segments in Ekegusii Language: An Optimality Perspective.(Kenyatta University, 2020-02) Mose, Edinah GesareLanguage phonotactics and morphotactics are very significant in determining linguistic borrowing. Despite this significance, fewer studies have explored this interplay. This study undertook a morphophonological analysis of borrowed segments in Ekegusii. To achieve this, the study described the phonological adaptations, phonological processes that shape the patterns of the borrowed segments in Ekegusii, established both the phonotactics and morphotactics of the Ekegusii language that constrain borrowing and ascertained the extent to which Optimality Theory accounts for borrowing in Ekegusii. The Optimality Theory as proposed by Prince and Smolensky (1993 and 2004) and Kager (1999) as well as Generalized Alignment Theory by McCarthy and Prince (1993a) were used in the study. A descriptive linguistic fieldwork design guided this study. This study targeted proficient adult Ekegusii speakers both male and female who were neither too young nor too old, had all their own teeth and did not have any speech disorders. To arrive at the appropriate study sample, purposive sampling was used and it was carried out in two stages. First, the researcher sampled two hundred words from Ekegusii dictionary, then supplemented from introspection. Secondly, the researcher sampled three proficient adult Ekegusii speaker respondents (two males and one female) who were interviewed to overtly realize the sound patterns in the Ekegusii borrowing processes. Data collection instruments included a wordlist which was subjected to the respondents through interviews which were recorded to yield spoken data. Data analysis revealed that loanwords in Ekegusii undergo both phonological and morphological adaptations. First, on phonological adaptations the findings revealed that English vowels tend to be substituted with those in Ekegusii which they have shared features in terms of horizontal and vertical tongue position, tenseness as well as shape of the lips. On consonantal segments, data showed that the sounds that were adapted shared at least the major-class features, laryngeal, manner and place features with those they replaced. In addition, segments that are unmarked and preferred cross linguistically were adapted over the marked ones. OT constraints accounted for all the phonological and morphological processes whereby markedness constraints dominated the faithfulness constraints. Phonotactics of Ekegusii language that constrain borrowing were revealed at two levels: segmental and syllabic. On the morphological adaptations, it was established that borrowed segments are mapped to different noun classes with the prefix marker being the overriding factor. It is expected that this study will contribute to the existing literature on Bantu languages in relation to borrowing within the framework of Optimality Theory.Item The Phonology of Kenyan Sign Language (Southwestern Dialect)(University Of California, 2017) Morgan, HopeThe Phonology of Kenyan Sign Language (Southwestern Dialect) Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) is a thriving national sign language used by tens of thousands of signers in Kenya, and which emerged out of two deaf schools in western Kenya in the early 1960s. In this thesis, I provide a thorough description and analysis of the basic phonological components of the KSL lexicon used in the southwestern region of Kenya (formerly south Nyanza Province). This phonological grammar of (SoNy)KSL makes contributions in three domains. In the descriptive domain, it provides a thorough report of the basic units in the main phonological parameters; i.e., Handshape (Ch. 4), Location (Ch. 5), and Movement (Ch 6, 7), as well as the evidence for the distinctiveness of each unit. The description for Movement and Location are particularly noteworthy because those parameters have received less attention in sign linguistics in general compared to Handshape. In the methodological domain, the grammar is based on a KSL Lexical Database built for this project, in which over 50 phonetic characteristics of 1,880 noncompound signs were coded. This database is currently one of only a few such richly coded lexical databases of sign languages. In addition, this grammar employs a rigorous approach to determining lexical contrast, which has yielded a separate dataset of 461 minimal pairs (Ch. 3). This dataset is unique in sign linguistics and reveals patterns of lexical contrast that were not previously known—and which have generated new hypotheses about how lexical contrast may be constrained by degrees of visual similarity. Finally, this thesis makes a theoretical contribution by comparing how different models of sign phonology can account for sign types in KSL. By evaluating the explanatory power of the main theories of sign phonology on the basis of specific descriptive data, this thesis gives unique insights into the theoretical validity of these models. It also proposes modifications in some cases, especially with regard to how the Dependency Model (DPM) can account for the representation of movement features and their relationship to the timing tier. In addition, a new movement feature, [dispersed], is described and its implementation worked out in the DPM.Item Language, Gender and Power: The Discursive Construction of The Kenya National Assembly Politicians (2013 – 2017)(Kenyatta University, 2019-06) Atambo, Norah B.This study undertook to critically examine, from a linguistic perspective, the gender disparities in the National Assembly of Kenya between 2013 and 2017. Through an idea of language as discourse, the study emphasizes the linguistic ideologies at play in producing and sustaining these disparities. The study uses Fairclough‟s (2001) and Van Dijk‟s (2001) approaches to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in order to understand the gendered discursive realm of politics in the National Assembly. The study objectives were: to identify and describe the linguistic items and expressions used by politicians and media opinion makers to describe the 2013-2017 National Assembly politicians in Kenya; to find out how the linguistic items and expressions construct the politicians; to point out the common ideologies held by the electorate about the politicians; and to establish how the use of the linguistic items and expressions affects the participation of National Assembly politicians in Kenya. The study, through a cross-sectional research design and a purposively selected sample, collected data through one-on-one unstructured interviews with ten Kenya National Assembly politicians,reviewed newspaper and television documents from four newspaper groups and four television channels, and administered semi-closed questionnaires to eighty members of the electorate. Data were recorded by the use of a digital audio recorder,flash disc, field notes, print outs and photocopies. Data consisted of verbal (written and spoken) and nonverbal gendered discourses, and gendered beliefs. Data were analysed qualitatively, through thematic analysis and simple descriptive statistics, and presented in written descriptions and tables. The study found out that there are gendered ideologies about the Kenya National Assembly politicians among the politicians themselves, the media and the electorate, which to a large extent portray men politicians positively and to a large extent portray women politicians in undesirable ways. These gendered ideologies, to a large extent favour men contestants, and to a large extent work against prospective and first-time women contestants. The study also found out that women politicians arenot passive recipients of the distorted constructions and gendered ideologies, but they contest the distortions and ideologies, and encourage each other. The study concludes that, although the gendered ideologies have been naturalized through language, they are mere gimmicks meant to keep women out of politics and maintain the status quo. The study findings not only complement other studies in Critical Discourse Analysis, but also equip relevant stake-holders with a language-based analysis of the key issues which affect progress towards balanced representation, decision making and resource allocation, thus providing a uniquevantage point onto the questions of gender and development in Kenya.Item Endangered Language in Nigeria: A Case Study of Gera Language of Bauchi State(Kenyatta University, 2018-05) Garba, Furera AdamuThis study investigated the endangerment of Gera language. It investigated the level of the endangerment of Gera language; the demographic variables associated with the endangerment, the impact of the shift on the structure of Gera language, and endeavored to find out if the Gera language is useful in defining the Gera identity. This was achieved through the use of two theoretical approaches: Sasse‟s Theory of Language Death and Gile‟s Ethno-linguistic Identity Theory (ELIT). The research adopted the descriptive research design in which the data was obtained and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.The sampling procedures adopted were the Stratified Random Sampling, Purposive Sampling and Snowball Sampling. The data collection procedures included interviews, focus group discussion, language use and attitude questionaire (LUAQ), Informant-Aided Participant Observation and Secondary data. The data was collected from five Gera settlements; namely Gilliri, Dabe, Tirwun Kangere and an area within Bauchi town which was mainly populated by Gera. The quantitative data was analyzed by using frequencies of the languages used in domains, patterns of language use, while the qualitative data from the interviews and the observation was grouped into themes which was formulated in accordance with the objectives of the study. The thesis has four analysis chapters: Chapter four identifies the level of endangerment of the Gera language; Chapter five investigated the demographic variables associated with the endangerment; Chapter six examined the impact of the shift on the structure of the Gera language; and Chapter seven endeavored to find out if the Gera language is useful in defining the Gera Identity. Theories adopted in the study were used to interpret the results. From the analysis, the study notes that only older respondents who are above 40 years can speak the Gera language. Also, that there are more male than female Gera speakers. It was also noted that those with little or no formal education and those residing in rural areas have the highest number of Gera speakers, compared to well educated people and those residing in urban areas. Also noted is that the Gera language borrowed heavily from Hausa, and a lot of code-switching and code mixing happens during speech by the Gera speakers. There is also a mophotactical adjustment of the borrowed words, and also the substitution of some Gera words for some Hausa words in speech.Finally the study observes that despite the dwindling of the number of the Gera speakers to a small number due to the shift to Hausa, Gera language remains the only way of identifying a Gera. Chapter seven presents the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations for further studies.Item Phonological Analysis of the English Spoken by Hausa Newscasters in Broadcasting Media in Nigeria(Kenyatta University, 2018) Usman, AbdulmalikThe study examines the English pronunciation patterns of Hausa broadcasters. The research was carried out based on the presupposition that the English spoken by Hausa broadcasters is different from RP English and is likely to mislead or distort the communication process. The study was guided by three objectives which centred on an examination and analysis of the way Hausa broadcasters articulate RP English consonants, vowels and consonant clusters. The research used Optimality Theory and adopted the descriptive research design. The study was carried out in Bauchi State Northeast Nigeria and data were obtained through production test and recording of news broadcasts from four public broadcasting stations in Bauchi. These include two radio stations and two television stations. Moreover, twenty-two Hausa broadcasters from the four media outlets were selected as respondents. The findings revealed that the speech by the majority of the respondents does not conform to RP English because it is characterized by semantic alteration which changes the meaning of words where words like pull are rendered full, heal as hill, upper as offer, raid as red and exact as exert. The speech is also marked by the Hausa English accent but this does not interfere with meaning. These problems were caused by phonological processes such as: substitution, frication, stopping, affrication, long vowel reduction, monophthongization of diphthongs, epenthesis and deletion. The majority of the respondents English language Markedness constraints outranked Faithfulness constraints.Item Clause Complexity in Gĩkũyũ: A Functional Account(Kenyatta University, 2018) Wakarindi, Peter MainaThis work is a response to a call by various scholars on the native speakers of African languages to undertake researches aimed at preserving, developing and popularising the African languages. The main aim of the study was to understand the complexity of Gĩkũyũ clauses. Specifically, within the frame of Functional Grammar Theory, the study focused on the functional-semantic relations in Gĩkũyũ clause complexes, the different relation markers in the clauses and the analysis of the clause complexes in the three metafunctions identified by the theory. Therefore, the specific objectives of the study were: to establish the functional-semantic relations in Gĩkũyũ clause complexes; to categorize the relation markers in the Gĩkũyũ clause complexes; and, to analyze the Gĩkũyũ clause complexes metafunctionally. Guided by these objectives, the study adopted a descriptive research design to enable a detailed description of its data and the emerging patterns from data analysis. The data, Gĩkũyũ clause complexes, was sampled purposively from both written and spoken sources. The written sources were selected fictional and non-fictional Gĩkũyũ texts while the spoken sources were two talk shows: one from a Gĩkũyũ television station and the other from a Gĩkũyũ radio station. Introspection was also employed to fill gaps in the data collected from the written and the spoken sources. A total of a hundred and seventy eight (178) Gĩkũyũ clause complexes were sampled. The data revealed that Gĩkũyũ clause complexes manifest functional-semantic relations in the two broad logico-semantic relations of expansion and projection, the categories identified by Halliday and Matthiessen. The relations observed under expansion were elaboration, extension and enhancement while both locution and idea were observed under projection. The relations were found to be realised both paratactically and hypotactically, each means employing different relation markers. Metafunctional analyses of the data revealed that Gĩkũyũ clause complexes simultaneously serve the three basic functions of language when in use: textual, interpersonal and experiential. This is because it proved possible to analyse the complexes in the thematic, mood and transitivity structures, which respectively carry the three functions. The analyses further revealed some unique characteristics of the Gĩkũyũ clause that Functional Grammar does not account for. These features, which include redundancy of constituents in the metafunctional structures, are mainly due to the agglutinative nature of Gĩkũyũ. The findings have implifications in the field of linguistics, more specifically to studies on African languages, as it bridges a linguistic gap on clause complexity in Gĩkũyũ. The findings would also go a long way in increasing proficiency in Gĩkũyũ, hence significanct to the users of the language. The study recommends, among other things, that the users of Gĩkũyũ familiarise themselves with the findings to improve their proficiency in the language and that institutions teaching African languages and the developers of Gĩkũyũ curriculum adopt the findings. Further, it calls for more related studies, such as phonological study on the Gĩkũyũ clause complexes and studies on complexes at the levels below and above the clause.Item A Linguistic Study of Kenyan Political Party Names, Symbols, Colours and Slogans(Kenyatta University, 2018) Malande, Moses James OlenyoThis thesis is a linguistic study of KPP names, KPP symbols, KPP colours and KPP slogans. It establishes that linguistic resources are used by political operators in design of the KPP tools. This is achieved by deliberately manipulating language at the phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, sociolinguistic and textual levels. These linguistic manipulations realise KPP mixed code names, sense relations, associative meanings, political discourses, abbreviations manipulations etc. Given its broad nature, this study is anchored on several theories including critical discourse analysis as it applies to political discourse, the semantic field theory, the symbolic interaction theory, the semiotics theory, the X-bar theory, the revised B and K universal theory and Whorfian linguistics relatively theory. Finally, the study employed a mixed methods approach which entails both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from the non-probability samples. Interviews, observation and archival (documentary reviews) methods are applied as tools for data collection. Data analysis is done using the MS-Excel 2010, matrix language frame (MLF), SPSS, and content analysis. This research finds a clear phonological, lexical, syntactic, sociolinguistic-code mix- and semantic manipulation of language in the crafting, designing, choosing and deployment of KPP names, symbols, slogans and colours thus necessitating an arrival at valid and appropriate findings and conclusions upon which research recommendations and generalisations are made.Item A genre analysis of sampled radio and TV argumentative talk shows in Kenya(Kenyatta University, 2018-03) Mwai, Loise WamaithaThis study involved a genre analysis of sampled radio and TV argumentative talk shows in Kenya. The research objectives were: to describe the generic structure of the talk shows; to explore the particular aspects that characterize argument on the talk shows; to investigated the question typology that sets apart this talk show genre, and finally to establish the communicative purposes of the discrete phase of the talk shows in light of the the generic features established. The study used a descriptive research design whereby purposive sampling was used to identify the talk shows that contained the relevant issues. A multistage sampling procedure was used to arrive at a sample size of 7 hours, 30 minutes of conversational data that was subjected to analysis. Data was collected through tape recording of the talk shows. The data was transcribed using standard orthography to allow for identification of the required language features. The aspects of argument and the question types were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 17 to generate tables on the frequencies of their occurrence. This facilitated comparison and discussion of the emerging patterns of the features across the sampled talk shows. Data analysis was guided by two theories: The first was Genre Analysis that views a genre as a class of communicative events with a common structure, content and shared communicative functions. The second wass Conversation Analysis was used to analyze sequential as well as overall organization of the talk shows. From the analysis, it was established that the sampled argumentative radio and TV talk shows constitute a genre for exhibiting a common structure; recurring aspects of argument, common question types and shared communicative goal. This study was motivated by the fact that argumentative talk shows have provided an arena in which journalists solicit statements of public policy, hold politicians accountable for their actions, all under the immediate scrutiny of the citizenry. The findings may therefore provide useful insights to the producers and hosts of these programmes on the various features of language that may be used in conducting more engaging programmes; thus, informing the public more.Item Acoustic Features of the Non-Ethnically Marked Kenyan English in the Speech of Selected University Lecturers(Kenyatta University, 2018) Itumo, Joshua MulingeThis study is an acoustic analysis of the phonological segments of the non-ethnically marked Kenyan English (KenE). KenE is contextualized within Kachru’s World Englishes (WEs) and its progress towards a ‘standard’ variety of English is accounted for within Schneider’s Dynamic Model for Post- Colonial Englishes (PCEs).The research objectives were: to describe the acoustic characteristics of the non-ethnically marked KenE phonological segments; to identify the phonemes in the non-ethnically marked KenE; to account for the observed phonological patterns within the Element Theory (ET); and to compare the internal element structure of KenE phonemes with that of the Received Pronunciation (RP), the accent associated with the Standard British English (SBE). Oral data was obtained by audio recording as purposively selected university lecturers read, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a passage which is commonly used for English phonemic analyses. The primary oral data was analysed using Praat software. Quantitative data was further analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) and presented in tables and written descriptions. Qualitative data was presented in figures. The study mainly found out that KenE tends towards eight monophthongs and six diphthongs. KenE does not have a ‘dark l’ and unlike the RP, it does not aspirate the fortis plosives. The lenis plosives are, on the other hand, characterized by a voicing lead. Also, KenE does not distinguish the two dental fricatives. The research findings provide useful insights for the codification of the phonology of an envisioned ‘standard’ variety of Kenyan English.Item Language, Representation and Ideology in the Nigerian 2011 Presidential Election Newspaper Reports(Kenyatta University, 2016-11) Asiru, Hameed TundeThis study examined the language, representation and ideology in the Nigerian 2011 presidential election newspaper reports. Specifically, the study identified and interpreted the macro speech acts that characterized the newspaper reports with an assumption that the representations concealed some underlying ideologies.The study also investigated the structures of the micro propositions in the reports to establish the nature of the newspaper representation of the election.In addition, the study identified the imbued ideologies and described their discursive structures, and how the micro propositions exhibited power relations.To achieve the objectives stated, the study was situated within van Dijk's (2009) framework of Sociocognitive Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis and integrated Austin's (1962) and Searle's (1976) classifications of speech acts in the Speech Act Theory.The study adopted a descriptive study design and a multistage sampling technique. Six daily national newspapers were selected across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria and two news articles (the lead article and any other one related to the electionnews reports) were purposively selected from each newspaper to make the articles twelve in number. To enable analysis, the articles were labeled as samples 1-12 and all the paragraphs in each article were numbered to allow the construction of macrostructures and identification of macro speech acts. The thesis has three analysis chapters: chapter four identifies and interprets the macro speech acts in the news reports; chapter five investigates the structures of the micro propositions; and chapter six combines two objectives. It identifies and analyses the ideological propositions, and how the propositions exhibit power relations. From the analysis, the study discovers the prevalence of verdictives which suggests that the newspapers approved of the outcome of the elections as free, fair and peaceful. The structures of the micro propositions indicate newspaper bias of the representation in favour of the ruling party while the discursive and cognitive structures of the ideological propositions in chapter six show how the ideologies were couched in the news reports and the polarization that exist therein. Finally, the study observes that the newspaper reports were used to exhibit more of dominance than resistance in terms of power relations. Chapter seven presents the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations for further studiesItem Cross-linguistic influences on first language acquisition of olutachoni lexicon(Kenyatta University, 2016-06) Mandillah, Lucy K. L.The study sought to identify lexical borrowing and describe the nature of lexical borrowing among the 2-7 year old children acquiring Olutachoni as their first language. The study also investigated and established the correlations between the age and gender of the children and the degree of lexical borrowing. The role of the linguistic environment to the acquisition of Olutachoni as a L1 was also investigated. The Usage- Based Acquisition Theory, Levelt’s Theory of Speech Production and the Unitary Language System Hypothesis were used to explain the role of the external and the internal mechanisms behind language acquisition. For a comparative analysis, data was collected from children in the mixed language family set up (Olutachoni-Olubukusu) and the single language family set up (Olutachoni-Olutachoni). This was meant to establish if cross linguistic influences from the mothers’ language (in this case Olubukusu) had any influence on the acquisition of Olutachoni. The study adopted a time-lag strategy design and a triangulation approach to collect and analyze data. Twelve children were purposively sampled from twelve homes through the social network approach. Unstructured interviews and observation schedules were used to collect and audio- record utterances from the 12 children. A contrastive and comparative analysis of the cases of lexical borrowing from the mixed language family set up and the single language family set up was done. Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to measure the relationship between the age and gender of the children and the degree of lexical borrowing. The results were presented in the form of frequency tables and figures which were followed with explanations. The findings of the study revealed that there were cases of cross linguistic influences from Olubukusu and Kiswahili among the 2-7 year old children acquiring Olutachoni as a First language. The two main strategies of lexical borrowing which were manifested among the children were lexical inventions and lexical importation. The influences occurred among the children from both the mixed and the single language family set ups although at varying degrees. Lexical importation was manifested through loan words and loan adaptation strategies whereas prefixation was employed as the main word formation process during lexical invention. Children from the mixed language family set up recorded a higher percentage of lexical borrowing compared to those from the single language family set up. There was a strong negative correlation between the age and gender of the children and the degree of lexical borrowing. Also, the linguistic environment had an effect on the production of lexical borrowing during child language acquisition. It was recommended that other cross linguistic influence studies in other African languages be conducted in order to promote the development and use of indigenous languages as per Chapter 2 section 7(3b) of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution. Furthemore, parents, teachers and psychologists should view lexical borrowing arising from CLIs as a strategy towards language learning but not as forms of interferenceItem Acquisition of English Passive Constructions by Dholuo Speaking Pupils(Kenyatta University, 2015) Awuor, Quiz ElizabethThe current study investigated the processes by which Dholuo speaking pupils acquire the English language passive constructions. Assuming that such pupils would have already mastered the Dholuo passive, the study focused on the cross linguistic effects of the Dholuo passive on the acquisition of the English passive constructions. The study also investigated the role of gender and age in the acquisition of the English passive constructions. An eclectic theoretical paradigm involving Learnability and Interlanguage theories was used. The study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional design which involves respondents in different groups according to their respective levels of development. The cohorts were pupils aged 6-8; 9-11 and 12-14 years. The design enabled the study to compare peers or cohorts as they successively reached a given age or points of development. It also allowed for child cohort comparison. Data was collected using research instruments that consisted of receptive and production tasks which were administered to the pupils. Data was analysed and interpreted qualitatively in terms of percentage scores in pie-charts and bar graphs, and quantitatively in prose form. The study found out that whereas gender had no significant influence on the acquisition of English passive constructions by Dholuo speaking pupils, the age of the pupils had a significant influence. Pupil‘s interlanguage is characteristic of most linguistic systems in the sense that it has properties of both the Dholuo passive and the English passive constructions. It emerged that pupils use a number of strategies as they come to terms with the target English passive structures. The pupils displayed adult like behaviour in their construction of the English passives and had problems only with the by-constructions. The findings of this study have implications not only on the acquisition of English grammatical structures, but also on the cross-linguistic influence in Second Language Acquisition and recommends as follows; syllabus designers and material developers should take due cognisance of the cross linguistic influence while designing syllabi and developing instructional materials for lower primary classes, and teachers handling English language in the corresponding grades to be made aware of the potential effects of the L1 on the acquisition of English target structures. The study also creates an opportunity for further research in other aspects namely: the interaction of Dholuo with the acquisition of other aspects of English grammar; interaction of other languages with English during the acquisition process; focus on adult learners so that any differences attributable to age of the learners could be noted and lastly, focus on child language acquisition within the African background so that inherent differences can be noted and accounted for.Item A critical discourse analysis of language used in selected courts of law in Kenya(2014) Gatitu KiguruThis study undertook a critical analysis of power asymmetry among discourse participants in sampled Kenyan courts. Specifically, the study investigated the questioning and pragmatic strategies used by lawyers, police prosecutors and unrepresented accused persons during direct examination and cross examination phases of trial, as well as the use of various speech act functions and background contributions by the examiners. In addition, the study also looked at how witness responses exemplify how power and control are achieved and challenged in the courtroom through linguistic means. To study these objectives, the study adopted a descriptive design and, therefore, qualitative methods were used in sampling and data analysis. Purposeful sampling was used to select the three courtrooms where the study took place. The data consisted of 30 hours of audio-recorded court proceedings. The audio recordings featured 10 hours from each of the three courtrooms and these reflected five hours of trials with unrepresented defendants and five hour of trials with a defence counsel. To allow for analysis, the audio recordings were transcribed and the various language features coded. These coded data were analysed using the SPSS version 17 computer software to generate statistics on the frequencies of occurrence of the various language features. These statistical results formed the foundation of the discussion of emerging trends in the analysis chapters. The main theoretical framework informing the analysis of data was Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). CDA views discourse as a social practice that constitutes the social world and is constituted by other social practices. The theory holds that a study of the micro-discourse structures such as lexical choices and syntactic form in a given context leads to an understanding of the macro-discourse social structures such as power. The other theories that informed the study were Conversational Analysis and the Speech Act Theory. The thesis has four analysis chapters: chapter four focuses on question use by police prosecutors, counsel and pro se litigants; chapter five presents the findings on the use of pragmatic strategies by these discourse participants; chapter six deals with witness answer types, answer length and forms of witness resistance to control by examiners; chapter seven presents findings on the speech act functions and background contributions by examiners. From the analyses in these chapters it is established that evidentiary rules empower those who assume the examiner role by placing them in control of topic choice and change, and giving them the means to constrain the contributions of others. However, lay litigants are not always able to exploit the language and pragmatic resources available to the examiner. It also emerges that witnesses are powerless participants in courtroom discourse and are subjected to various forms of control by examiners. However, it is noted that witness use various strategies to resist this control. Chapter eight presents the summary of findings, conclusions and suggestions for further research and recommends various ways of mitigating the power imbalance in the courtroom.Item Verb morphology in Gikuyu in the Light of Morpho-syntactic Theories(Kenyatta University, 2001) Mwangi, Phyllis W.Among the many controversies in linguistics today, there are two that have captured our interest. The first and the main one involves the status of morphology and its relationship with other components of grammar like syntax, phonology and semantics. Some linguists believe morphology can adequately be catered for in these other components and therefore does not need a separate component in language. Others however feel that there are issues that are morphology-specific worth studying. The second controversy addressed in this work involves the distinction normally drawn between inflection and derivation. There are those who believe that the dividing line between the two is rather fuzzy and not really meaningful. The opposing camp, however, thinks that the two are distinct. Our research was prompted by these two debates. In addressing the first one, we have looked at morphological and syntactic implications of four valency-changing morphemes in Gikuyu, namely: the applicative, the causative, the passive and the stative. We have sought to explain the syntactic effects of the affixation of these morphemes within the Merger Theory (Marantz, 1984) and the Incorporation Theory (Baker, 1988a,b), both of which are syntactic in orientation. As a preliminary to the above task however, this research addresses the distinction drawn between inflection and derivation in Gikuyu. We have employed four distinguishing criteria on the four morphemes in order to determine to what extent each exhibits features associated with inflection on the one hand and derivation on the other. In relation to the first research issue, we have found that the syntactic theories of Merger (Marantz, 1984) and Incorporation (Baker, 1988a,b) cannot adequately account for the morpho-syntactic behaviour of valency-altering morphemes in Gikuyu. We have explained what the shortcomings of the theories are, and where possible, suggested alternative analysis. Finally, we have concluded that although morphology interacts closely with other components of language, it retains a distinct place in the study of language. We have recommended that further research is necessary in this area, especially geared towards a lexical- functional approach given the rich and complex morphology evident in Gikuyu and in Bantu languages generally. Concerning the distinction between inflection and derivation, our analysis has shown that the four distinguishing criteria do not give conclusive results, tbus making it difficult for us to classify the morphemes as either inflectional or derivational. In view of this, we have reformulated the distinguishing criteria to suit Gikuyu after arguing that the distinction is necessary especially for lexicographical purposes.