The Semantic Nature Of Sukuma Personal Names

Abstract

This study aimed at providing a description of the content embodied in Sukuma names that parents give to their children. Two theories namely: the Social Learning Theory by Bandura (1997) and the Agendasetting Theory by McCombs and Shaw (1972) formed the theoretical framework of this study. The corpus of this study was 30 Sukuma personal names obtained through a series of phone calls between the researcher and five Sukuma native old men. In analysing the data and providing a description of the meanings embodied in names given to children of Sukuma origin, the study uses Discourse Analysis (DA) method. The findings reveal that some of the names given to children are loaded with contents reflecting experiences of parents prior to or during pregnancy and even at birth. The conclusion shows that names are meaning potentials; and in assigning names to their children, parents bear in mind a purpose which may be influenced by some good or bad life experiences. It is recommended that parents should think very careful when assigning names to their children as a means to tell their stories which may no longer be relevant to the referent later on in life.