Lexical Adaptability in Bemba and Luunda: Some Implications for Present-Day Communication

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Periodical article

Title:	Lexical Adaptability in Bemba and Luunda: Some Implications for Present-Day Communication
Authors:	Musonda, Moses Kashoki, Mubanga E.
Year:	1982
Periodical:	African Social Research
Issue:	34
Period:	December
Pages:	293-316
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Zambia
Subjects:	loan words Lunda language Bemba language Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Abstract:	The present investigation attempts to indicate some of the lexical changes that have occurred in Bemba and Luunda, spoken in the Northern and Luapula Provinces of Zambia respectively, and to subject such changes to a comparative analysis aimed at demonstrating whether or not the lexical development involved is tending towards lesser or greater linguistic differentiation. The evidence presented suggests that, on the whole, word borrowing in Bemba and Luunda has not resulted in greater lexical dissimilarity between the two dialects. In fact, the language distance noted with respect to basic vocabulary appears to have been maintained after considerable word borrowing by both dialects. It is suggested that if shared vocabulary is accepted to be an important factor for predicting mutual intelligibility, then Bemba and Luunda can be assumed to be mutually comprehensible, despite the presence of adoptives from foreign languages. App., bibliogr., notes.