Juma Njowele: Compound Word Formation in Swahili
Juma Njowele, Assistant Lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT)
Mmerikani’s Substack consists of sourced, edifying quotes in a dual-language format (Swahili & English). I am a Quaker, runner, and was formally trained in Swahili.
KISWAHILI
[Dondoo lililofuata ni kutoka kwa utafiti wa kitaaluma wa Juma Njowele’s “Taratibu za Uundaji wa Maneno Ambatani ya Lugha ya Kiswahili” (2024).]
“Kimsingi, maneno ni vipashio muhimu katika lugha ya Kiswahili…. Kadhalika, maneno hayo ambayo hudokeza maana yamekuwa yakiundwa kutoka na michakato mbalimbali ya kimofolojia ya uundaji maneneo, miongoni mwa michakato hiyo ni uambatani….
“Utaratibu wa kisemantiki ambao huukilia uundaji wa maneno ambatani ya lugha ya Kiswahili ni hipanimu huwa linatangulia na kufuatiwa na hiponimu[;] Resani (2014) anaeleza kuwa hipanimu nineno lenye maana kubwa au neno kuu ilhali hiponimu ni maneno yenye maana ndogo.
“…hipanimu na hiponimu zina uhusiano wa karibu[;] mathalani, tunda ni hipanimu lakini embe, nanasi, chungwa hizi ni hiponimu. Aidha, katika miundo ya maneno ambatani, utaratibu wa hipanimu kutangulia, na kufatiwa na, hiponimu unazingatiwa ilikuunda maneno ambatani. Hebu tazama mfano wa four kwa ufafanuzi zaidi [neno kuu lina herufi nzito katika Kiswahili]:
Kiambishi awali
Bata mzinga
Sarufi maumbo
Isimu jamii
Pembe-tatu pacha”
- Juma H. Njowele ni Mhadhiri Msaidizi kwenye Chuo Kikuu Huria cha Tanzania (OUT) na mwandishi wa karatasi kadhaa za kusisimua za utafiti katika Kiswahili unaochunguza shughuli za kisemantiki katika lugha ya Kiswahili. Maslahi yake ni isimujamii, fonolojia, na mofolojia.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
[Excerpts from academic research by Juma Njowele’s “The System of Compound Word Formation in the Kiswahili Language” (2024).]
“Fundamentally, word constructions are important language units in the Swahili language…. Accordingly, the word constructions convey meaning derived from various morphological processes of word formation, one of which includes compounding….
“The semantic pattern that represents the formation of compound words in the Swahili language is hypernyms, which are preceded and followed by hyponyms[;] Resani (2014) explains that hypernyms are words with a larger significance, or are the main word, while hyponyms are words with a lesser significance….
“…hypernyms and hyponyms are closely related[;] for example, “fruit” is a hypernym, but mango, pineapple, orange are hyponyms. In addition, in compound word structures, the rule of the hypernym preceding, and being followed by, the hyponym is the recognized format to create compound words. Let's see four examples to illustrate this format further [the main word is bolded in the Swahili]:
Prefix
Turkey
Grammar forms
Sociolinguistics
Double triangle”
- Juma H. Njowele is an Assistant Lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) and author of several exciting research papers in Kiswahili exploring semantic activity in the Swahili language. His interests are sociolinguistics, phonology, and morphology.
Chanzo (source): Juma Njowele. “Taratibu za Uundaji wa Maneno Ambatani ya Lugha ya Kiswahili” [“The System of Compound Word Formation in the Swahili Language”], 2024. Retrieved from ResearchGate.net repository on June 27, 2025 at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385159678_Taratibu_za_Uundaji_wa_Maneno_Ambatani_ya_Lugha_ya_Kiswahili#fullTextFileContent.
Turkey?🤔