An Analysis of Nandi Anthroponyms: An Onomastic Approach

Abstract

Names are not only markers of individual identity but also reflect deep social, cultural, and environmental connections. Despite the centrality of naming in Nandi society, there has been limited scholarly attention to the morpho-semantic structures and contextual meanings embedded in Nandi anthroponyms, a gap this research sought to address. The primary purpose was to document and analyse the extrinsic and intrinsic linguistic features, lexical categories, morphological patterns, and semantic content of Nandi personal and kinship names. Specifically, the study aimed to: examine the extrinsic and intrinsic linguistic features inherent in Nandi anthroponyms; explore the divergent categories of lexical items that constitute these names; conduct a morphological analysis of their structural composition, and conduct a semantic analysis of their contextual meanings. Grounded in Symbolic Interactionism Theory, Functional Theory of Grammar, and Lexicon Contrast and Social Semiotics Theory, the study adopted an exploratory research design. The target population comprised all native Nandi dialect speakers from 30 administrative wards in Nandi County, with a purposive sample of 240 local elders (eight from each ward). Data were collected through focus group discussions with the 30 groups, each consisting of eight elders, and were analysed using morpho-semantic techniques to uncover the underlying meanings and structures of names. The findings revealed that extrinsic factors such as environmental events (locust invasions, famine), social occurrences (migration, enemy raids), and temporal markers (seasonal changes, harvest periods) significantly influence naming, while intrinsic factors include childbirth circumstances (labour duration, twin births), birth locations, and family dynamics (birth order, maternal health). Lexical analysis showed that Nandi names are primarily formed from nouns (54%), verbs (32%), and adjectives (14%), with distinct gender-marking prefixes, such as ‘Jep-’/‘Chep-’ for females and ‘Kip-’, ‘Tap-’, and ‘Arap-’ for males. Morphological analysis identified systematic use of affixation, with common suffixes, such as ‘-ur’, ‘-siek’, ‘-et’, and ‘-ik’, modifying root morphemes to convey nuanced meaning. Semantic analysis demonstrated that Nandi names encapsulate contextual information about birth circumstances, family roles, and significant communal events, serving as repositories of cultural knowledge. The major conclusion is that Nandi naming practices are linguistically complex and culturally rich, functioning as both identifiers and carriers of communal memory. A key implication is the urgent need to preserve these naming traditions in the face of modernization and language shift. The study therefore recommends the development of a comprehensive corpus of Nandi anthroponyms as a resource for cultural preservation and linguistic research. Ultimately, this research is significant in filling a critical gap in Kenyan onomastic studies and providing a model for documenting and valorising indigenous naming systems elsewhere.