Affixation and Compounding across Typologies: Morphological Transfer in Swahili-Speaking Learners of Mandarin Chinese
Hamisi Mshamu Likoko
*
College of Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China and Confucius Institute, Faculty, The University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Zaituni Abubakari Salum
Confucius Institute, Faculty, The University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Rukia Ally Himu
College of Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigates how the typological contrast between Swahili affixation and Mandarin Chinese compounding is reflected in the word-formation practices of Swahili-speaking learners of Mandarin Chinese. A qualitatively dominant mixed-methods design was employed, combining morphological production tasks, learner compositions, and semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in Chinese-language programmes at three Tanzanian universities hosting Confucius Institutes. Forty-five second- and third-year Swahili-speaking learners completed picture-based and sentence-frame tasks, while learner compositions were examined for recurring non-target morphological patterns. Fifteen participants were subsequently interviewed about their interpretations of Chinese word structure, vocabulary-learning strategies, and experiences with Chinese word formation. Across the coded non-target responses, structural errors accounted for 47%, semantic errors for 32%, and hybridization errors for 21%. The findings indicate recurring patterns in which learners appeared to draw on previously established morphological expectations when interpreting and producing Chinese compounds. However, these patterns are not treated as exclusively attributable to Swahili, because participants operated within multilingual learning environments in which English and potentially other previously learned languages may also have influenced particular forms. The findings suggest that explicit attention to differences between Swahili morphological structures and Chinese compound relations, together with lexical grouping and guided analysis of learner-produced forms, may provide useful pedagogical directions for Chinese-language instruction in Tanzanian university contexts.
Keywords: Mandarin Chinese, Swahili, Chinese compounding, affixation, morphological transfer, cross-linguistic influence, morphological awareness, multilingual learners, interlanguage, second language acquisition