Environment as a Determinant Factor for Speech Style and Recognition: A Case of Swahili Language in Tanzania

Abstract

This study offers a fresh look at the impact of the  environment in influencing speech styles, focusing on  Swahili as a case study  language. This study navigates  beyond the usual concerns of speakers, topics, ages, and  genders to explore how the environment we  surround  ourselves can impact our language habit in terms of how and  what linguistic expressions we produce. The study is carried  out  using observation as a method of data collection in the  city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and includes a variety of  settings such as  restaurants, daladalas (public minivans), and  mitumba marketplaces (second-hand clothing shops). The  collected data was analyzed  using the speech acts theory as  a guiding framework to determine the various ways in which  the environment influences speech. This  paper serves high  significance in the field by casting on the influence a social  environment can have in our speech habits. By suggesting  that environment can be a determinant of different speech  styles and habits, the study opens up new dimensions to our  knowledge of  different dynamics that chiefly influence  language use.