ASSOCIATIVE MEANINGS OF KISUKUMA-ENGLISH COLOUR TERMS

Abstract

The paper analyzes Kisukuma colour terms focusing on associative meanings encoded in colours. Data on colours are analyzed using thematic analysis where they are grouped and organized in eight kisukuma colour terms namely: Yape- white, Yapi- black, Yaza- red, Ndilizu- green Luduhlu/yanga- yellow, Bhuhulu/bhululu – blue, Matalaka/madaraka- light blue and Yakhu- grey. The study establishes that kisukuma colour terms are enriched with different associative meanings which have more positive than negative meanings in sense that the uses of yapi- black and yaza- red are mostly negative. In contrast, yape-white colour, luduluh- yellow and ndilizu- green colour mostly have positive associative meanings, bhuhulu/bhululu- blue, Matalaka/madaraka- light blue and yakhu- grey had narrow meanings which were positive.