Utumiaji Wa Kiswahili Na Lugha Za Jamii Kijinsia Nchini Tanzania

Abstract

This paper has attempted to examine the use of language in relation to gender and used the findings to predict the future of Kiswahili and ethnic languages in remote rural areas in Tanzania. The pattern of language use reveals that there is no significant difference with respect to gender. The paper shows that a higher percentage of both females and males uses more ethnic languages in the domains of home, neighbourhood and workplace than Kiswahili and vice versa. On the basis of the discussion derived from the study, the paper further advocates that both Kiswahili and ethnic languages will continue to be used as functional languages in the remote rural areas for many years to come. The fear that ethnic languages are in danger of disappearance is relevant only in semi-urban rural areas and does not include remote rural villages. The remote rural villages cited in this paper are typical examples of language maintenance in Tanzania.