Linguistic Forms and Strategies of Endearment among Kiswahili-Speaking Youths in Urban Tanzania

Abstract

This study analysed the forms and functions of endearment among Kiswahili-speaking youths in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It focuses on four categories of linguistic endearments: address forms, evaluative remarks, erotic expressions, and positive pejoration, including solidarity markers. A total of 77 youths from Makongo and Saranga wards participated through snowball sampling. Data were collected via unstructured interviews and participant observation, capturing informal, dyadic interactions among peers. The findings reveal that Kiswahili provides a rich repertoire of linguistic resources for expressing affection, solidarity, and social identity. Address forms were the most frequently used, while erotic expressions and evaluative remarks were the most diverse. The study highlights that these endearment strategies are highly context-sensitive and reflect the speakers’ interpersonal communicative competence, especially in informal basilectal settings. Theoretical insights from sociopragmatics, conceptual metaphor theory, and identity construction illuminate how these linguistic practices negotiate relationships, reinforce solidarity, and construct social identity. Future studies could explore endearment in broader settings, in social media, and longitudinally to examine shifts in usage across age, gender, and social mobility. The study contributes to understanding Kiswahili as a flexible, socially and culturally rich medium for interpersonal connection.