Abstract:
This paper investigates semantic under specification in the EkeGusii language, a Bantu language spoken in southwestern
Kenya. The focus is on context-dependent expressions particularly quantifiers, pronouns, and adjectives that exhibit
indeterminacy in meaning until resolved through discourse. The analysis is framed within Dynamic Semantics and
Contextualism, both of which provide robust tools for understanding how such expressions interact with context to
yield interpretation. Using elicited examples and natural discourse data, the study reveals that EkeGusii extensively
relies on contextual cues such as noun class agreement, discourse prominence, and sociocultural frames to resolve
underspecified meanings. Findings demonstrate that under specification in EkeGusii is not an anomaly but a functional
design of the language that enables flexible and efficient communication, consistent with broader patterns in Bantu
semantics.
