Examining Ankole toponyms : etymology, evaluative morphosemantics and evolution

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on examining Ankole toponyms particularly their origin, evaluative morphosemantics and their evolution. Although evaluative morphology has been largely studied as an independent linguistic feature, this research examined it within a context of toponymic formation of Ankole. The aim of the study was to show how language is crucial in shaping people’s perspectives in the formation of Ankole toponyms. The specific objectives of this study were; ⅰ) to explore the etymology of the selected Ankole toponyms; ⅱ) to investigate the role of evaluative markers in the selected Ankole toponyms; ⅲ) to examine the changes in selected Ankole toponyms. In this study, I used a qualitative approach involving data collection methods of interviewing, text analysis and note taking. I used the thematic based triangulation approach; the findings were cross referenced for validity and reliability. Out of 26 toponyms available in my designated scope, 15 toponyms were purposively selected for analysis. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, it attested to the radial models of the broad Cognitive Semantics Theory and Social Cultural Dynamic Theory. The two cognitive semantic approaches, namely, Radial Model Category of Diminutive by Jurafsky (1996) and Radial Model of Augmentative by Prieto (2005), were adopted to establish the semantic extensions in the evaluative morphological markers in Ankole toponyms. Likewise, the social cultural dynamic theory also guided in explaining how historical experience, cultural values, community perception influence naming, reinterpretation and the continued use of Ankole toponyms. The findings reveal that beyond encoding quantitative attributes of size, intensity or magnitude, these evaluative markers convey emotional attitudes associated with a place in Ankole society. The findings further provide evidence that Ankole place names can be traced back to a variety of sources, including the environment, the economic activities of Ankole people, the systems of governance used in Ankole society, and the spiritual and mythological traditions of Ankole society. Furthermore, the findings from this study indicate that due to changes in the environment, sacred reinterpretation or recasting, migration, urbanization and socio-economic developments over different periods of time, the names and meanings given to Ankole toponyms shift and develop through these various processes and events. The study contributes to the broad field of onomastics by showing how evaluative markers embedded in the structure of toponyms can encode people’s judgements toward a place name. The study however recommends a comparative study on evaluative morphology involving toponyms from languages closely related to Runyankore like Runyoro-Rutooro, Lusoga and Luganda to see whether they share some features.