The Prosodic and Morphological Survey of Siswati Personal Names

Abstract

This article explores how personal names are granted to EmaSwati nation. Personal naming system is a significant practice among Africans and it differs greatly from language to language. Personal names belong to the science called onomastics and to a further category named anthroponomastics, while place names belongs to toponomastics. The rationale of this work is to provide the structural meanings, interpretations and principles of unity from structural to functional views. The morphological principles and structures are expected to ensure that they are linguistically combined for harmonized connotations and meanings. Morphological structures of Siswati personal names are investigated, with a focus on prefixes, suffixes, and infixes that convey information about gender, age, and social status. Morphological patterns are analyzed to discern any historical or sociolinguistic influences. The study also delv es into the semantic layers of Siswati personal names, uncovering the meanings, associations, and cultural connotations attached to specific names. This semantic analysis sheds light on how names reflect the values and beliefs of the Siswati speaking community. The bestowal of personal names are influenced by the process of enculturation and socialization which are shown by multiculturalism. They are looked at from social and cultural life of the society and morphologically delineated. The prosodic features such as stress, intonation and rhythm are vital for correct pronunciation of sounds. The linguistics and textual analysis are adopted for this research work.