4.3.
Some communication problems between B.S. and S speakers.
Some communication problems are likely to arise in the
interaction between B.S. and S speakers or S-written documents (as the Bible).
Both B.S speakers and S speakers (especially those who acquired Swahili in an
East-African country through residence and foreign church ministers) would
likely face communication breach when a B.S. speaker uses neologisms or
borrowings, or when an S speaker uses terms for which B.S. speakers only use
neologisms or borrowings. There will be misinterpretation when either speaker
uses words whose meanings have been semantically transformed in B.S.
Illustrations will be provided below in possibilities of interaction between
B.S. speaker with S speaker and the latter with the former.
4.3.1
B.S. speaker to S speaker
A B.S. uttered message may hardly or not be understood, or
misinterpreted by an S speaker. Hereafter are three examples of B.S. phrases
that would confuse an S speaker.
(1) Malali ya birhimbo «Elephantiasis»
(2) Nyonjo ya muzee «The old man's hump»
(3) Duru mu shamba ya nyanya «A stupid person in an
eggplant field.»
A foreign church minister speaking S or a Congolese who
acquired Swahili in a foreign country will certainly be misled before phrases
of the kind (1) to (3) mentioned above. In (1), s/he would not understand
anything because of the loans used in the phrase. In (2), s/he will simply get
«muzee» (old man) for «nyonjo» is a neologism. In (3), s/he
will misinterpret the B.S. phrase. According to her/him, the phrase
reads:»a wheel/circle in a field of tomatoes.»Here, it is the use of
S words of which the meanings are transformed in B.S. that misleads an S
speaker.
4.3.2.
S speaker to B.S. speaker
An S uttered message may likewise hardly or simply not be
understood, or misinterpreted by a B.S. speaker. When an S speaker uses words
for which B.S. speakers use borrowings or neologisms, or uses words whose
meanings are transformed in B.S., a B.S. speaker will certainly be misled. The
following three examples of phrases will illustrate the statement in the
preceding lines.
(1) Kiwanda cha sukari «Sugar factory»
(2) Bangili nzuri «Beautiful bracelet»
(3) Kuuza nyanya «To sell tomatoes»
In (1) and (2), a B.S. speaker would merely get
«sukari» and «nzuri» but not «Kiwanda» and
«bangili» because of borrowings and neologisms that B.S. speakers
largely resort to. In (3), a. B.S. speaker will as well misinterpret the S
phrase. According to her/him, the phrase reads: «to buy eggplants.»
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