A Pragmatic Analysis of the Interpretation of Pitch Variation in Gĩkũyũ

Migongo, Becky N. (2012) A Pragmatic Analysis of the Interpretation of Pitch Variation in Gĩkũyũ. Masters thesis, Kenyatta University.

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Abstract

Thestudy is an investigation of pitch variation in Gikiiyfi. Gikiiyil is a Bantu language spoken by about 4.4 million people in central Kenya. An estimated 2.1 million other speakers of the language are distributed in other parts of Kenya and the world. The study, specifically, examines the structure, pragmatic functions and the effects of the speaker's pitch variation on the comprehension and interpretation of sarcasm and anger by Gikfiyii native speakers of different ages and genders. This has been done in order to meet the following objectives: to establish the pitch variation patterns of utterances expressing sarcasm and anger in Gikfiyil; to establish the influenceof gender in the interpretation and comprehension of sarcasm and anger in Gikfiyii; and to describe how age differences influence the interpretation and comprehension of sarcasm and anger in Gikfiyii, The researcher used a guided interview schedule to collect sarcastic and expressions of anger. The respondents also listened to recorded utterances and interpreted them as either sarcastic or angry expressions. They also uttered pre-written lexical items and sentences through the guidance of the researcher. From those utterances, pitch variation patterns were produced. These were audio-recorded for further analyses. The respondents were selected using purposeful sampling technique. The data were collected in Mfikaro Location in Nyeri Central District, Nyeri County of Central Province in Kenya. The native speakers of Gikiiyil in the selected area of study speak the Gaki dialect of Gikiiyii. The analyses done in this study are based on the Relevance Theory (Sperber and Wilson, 1995) and the Autosegmental-Metrical Model (Pierrehumbert, 1980). Data have been analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings of the study reveal that anger and sarcasm have distinct pitch variation patterns. The researcher noted that females, generally, interpret anger and sarcasm better than males; the old interpret anger better than the young and the young interpret sarcasm better than the old. The analyses in this study, thus, indicate that gender and age influence the interpretation of sarcasm and anger. Based on the findings in this study, the researcher recommends that an intensive study be undertaken to code Gikiiyii emotions and their intonations.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) P Language and Literature > PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Geoffrey Obatsa
Date Deposited:	09 May 2017 12:03
Last Modified:	09 May 2017 12:03
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/1494

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