An Investigation into the Sociolinguistics of Asu Personal Names in Same, Tanzania

Abstract

Many Ethnic Community Languages (ECLs) in Tanzania are demographically and socioculturally pressured mainly by Kiswahili and English to a lesser extent. The ECLs which were previously used in elementary education, local administration and religious activities currently do not have any place in any official domain and thus are limited to home and other few immediate domains. Due to this unequal coexistence of the languages, many ECLs are considered endangered, calling for efforts from stakeholders to prevent the death of such a precious cultural heritage. By documenting the social aspects of Asu personal names, this paper is a contribution to such initiatives like The Languages of Tanzania Project aiming at documenting Tanzanian ECLs in every possible area and means. The paper used participant observation, in-depth interview and self-intuition to investigate personal names of a Bantu speaking people called Vaasu (Asu) of Northern Tanzania, considering naming as an important aspect of the society. The paper looked at Asu names within the purview of linguistic anthropology considering names as not being arbitrary labels but sociocultural tags that have sociocultural functions and meanings. By using thematic analysis technique, the paper analysed and discussed the typology of the names including family names, circumstantial names, theophorous names, flora and fauna names, to mention but a few. The paper further examined the changing nature of Asu naming system and practice as dictated by cultural contact mainly with Swahili and Christian/ western culture. The paper eventually recommends for further investigation on issues surrounding naming practices and strategic measures to prevent this important African cultural resource.