A Contrastive Study of IciBemba and Mambwe at Phonological Level

Abstract

A contrastive study between IciBemba and Mambwe at phonological level sought to find out how Standard Bemba and Rural Mambwe differ in terms of phonology. The investigation was motivated by the proximity of Bemba and Mambwe speaking communities in Mbala district of Northern province. The researcher used qualitative research design because he sought to focus on words rather than on numbers. His methods were exploratory and descriptive: seeking to unearth the opinions, thoughts and feelings of the respondents. In this study, respondents were freely able to disclose their experiences, thoughts and feelings without constraint. This research design enabled the researcher to have an in-depth involvement by way of semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions and observation. The researcher had an opportunity to follow up, through focus-group discussions, on the responses given earlier by the key informant who is very proficient in Mambwe. All the informants are proficient in the languages under study. It is this in-depth involvement by the researcher with the informants and his analysis and interpretation of the data that has shaped the outcome of this study. The differences have been noted in segmental phonology with regard to vowels and consonants, the application of deletion, insertion and allophonic rules, sound segments in causative and intensive verbal forms, semivocalisation, coalescence and vowel harmony It is, therefore, concluded from the study that the phonological differences between the languages under study contribute to: (1) mutual unintelligibility between IciBemba and Mambwe speakers who have had no experience of each other’s language and (2) the absence of linguistic convergence between IciBemba and Mambwe despite that they are spoken in the same geographical space.