Morpho-syntactic decomposition of place names in proximate sister languages: Gichuka, Gikuyu, Kiimenti and Kiembu

Abstract

This study sought to make a morpho-syntactic decomposition of place names in the proximate sister languages, Gikuyu, Kiembu, Gichuka and Kiimenti, with a view to analysing their structural constituents. The study utilised a descriptive research design underpinned by Filmore's Frame Semantics. Primary data was collected from a sample of twenty informants, five from a cognate set of words drawn from each category of Gichuka, Gikuyu, Kiembu and Kiimenti speakers using a judgmental sampling technique. A list of sixty-four names, sixteen in each of the languages, four from each category of place names that were selected purposively, were analysed. Results indicate that toponyms can be categorised into morpho-syntactic complexes with a rich myriad of meaning applications in several contexts structurally classified as simple, affixed, compound and complex, with a reflection of historically, culturally and environmentally inspired morphological and semantic content. Place names and linguistics are inseparable, considering the fact that their coinage is consciously done, constituting linguistic processes in the interactive components of grammar: morphology, phonology, syntax and semantics. The derived complexes reveal a rich myriad of applications in several contexts. In view of this observation, place names in this paper have been analysed as one category of nominals within morphology. The results of the study are expected to benefit scholars in applied Linguistics and the general public.