Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024)

Distinguishing Criteria for Compound Nouns and Noun Phrases in Kiswahili

https://doi.org/10.56279.13.1.1
Faraja Mwendamseke
Dar es Salaam University College of Education University of Dar es Salaam,

Corresponding Author(s) : Faraja Mwendamseke

fmwendamseke@gmail.com

Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024)

Abstract

Compound nouns and noun phrases tend to confuse because some of the principles
governing the formation of the two nominal forms are interrelated. For example,
both are made up of two or more words with the main word governing the
compound or phrase. Linguists use various criteria to distinguish a compound noun
from a noun phrase, including prosody, meaning, lexical cohesion, and
orthography. However, these criteria still present difficulty distinguishing a
compound noun from a noun phrase. For instance, it is difficult to tell whether the
words soko dogo ‘small market’ constitute a compound noun or a noun phrase. This
is because it is not clear as to which criteria really distinguish a compound noun
from a noun phrase. This article explores the criteria that can distinguish a
compound noun from a noun phrase without any ambiguity in Kiswahili language.
It is revealed that most words do not fit in the meaning criterion, stress criterion
or orthography. The lexical cohesion criterion looks better because many words fit
in it. However, some words do not fit all the criteria due to historical changes in
the language that have caused changes in structure and meaning.
Key words:  criteria, prosody

Keywords

lexicon, compound noun, noun phrase, criteria, prosody
Distinguishing Criteria for Compound Nouns and Noun Phrases in Kiswahili. (2024). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 13(1). https://doi.org/10.56279.13.1.1
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Distinguishing Criteria for Compound Nouns and Noun Phrases in Kiswahili. (2024). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 13(1). https://doi.org/10.56279.13.1.1
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