Phonological and morphological adaptation of English loan words into the Kikabete dialect of Gikuyu language

Abstract

This is a study on phonological and morphological adaptation of English loan words into the Kikabete dialect of the Gikuyu language. The research study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one will look. at the background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, hypotheses, rationale and significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, theoretical frame work and the research methodology. Chapter two will outline the Gikuyu phonemic inventory and some of the major phonological processes involving consonants and vowels in the language. In addition, it will outline the Gikuyu syllable structure within the Natural Generative Phonology (N.G.P) framework. Emphasis will be laid on the phoneme and the syllable, because the two phenomena are important in the study of loan word adaptation processes. chapter three, will analyze the phonological adaptation processes of English loan words into the Gikuyu language. This analysis will mainly concentrate on the phonemic and syllable structure processes involved in loan words adaptation. Chapter four will describe how English loan words are adapted morphologically into the Gikuyu language. Of particular interest in this chapter will be the process of affixation, which will assign English loan words into the various Gikuyu noun classes. At the close of this research study is chapter five which will offer a summary, conclusion and recommendations for further research in this area of study.