Pragmatic interpretation of Oluluhya idioms in radio Mambo fm Witimbule programme

Abstract

Idioms have been applied functionally as regulators of human behaviour, evidence of politeness in conversations, for entertainment, face-saving by mincing the words to show decorum, a sign of linguistic competence and the store of cultural values among the Luhya people. However, there was need to investigate whether or not the fans of Witimbule programme in Radio Mambo FM interpret various forms of idioms correctly because among the 19 Luhya dialects, there is lexical mismatch which may cause multiple interpretations of idioms and consequently, lead to miscommunication among the fans and listeners of Witimbule programme. If the appropriate strategies of interpreting idioms are not applied, the use of idioms can be a hindrance to communication. The objectives of the study were to determine the form of idioms which are susceptible to misinterpretation by the fans of Witimbule programme in Radio Mambo FM, analyse how misinterpretation of idioms during the conversation in Radio Mambo FM Witimbule programme arises and establish the most effective strategies of interpreting idioms during Witimbule programme. Significance to the study was to establish the least effort strategies of interpreting the idioms for effective communication. The study was carried out in the framework of relevance theory by Wilson and Sperber (1995/2002). It is a pragmatic theory that explains how discourse can be interpreted during conversation. Some of its tenets which were applicable to this study include: Following the path of the least effort strategies to reach the cognitive effect, the role of context in interpretation of discourse, the complexity of the information being processed in the brain and the cost-benefit basis. The study adopted the descriptive research design because it is in line with qualitative approach to describe the phenomenon as it occurs in its natural setting. The study area was Western Kenya region (Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga counties). The samples were collected by purposive sampling procedure. Sample size was determined by the number of fans from each dialect which was 66. 69 Idioms were collected by listening and audio-tape recording during the programme until saturation stage was reached. The idioms were recorded in context as excerpts. The data from respondents was collected through an unstructured oral interview using an interview schedule because it involved face-to-face questioning for more clarification. The findings were organised in thematic areas, analysed and presented in textual form. The study sought to determine the least effort strategies to interpret idioms and found that idioms are integrated naturally in conversations during Witimbule programme. The form of idioms which were mostly misinterpreted is proverbial and hyperbolic. The main hindrances to interpretation of idioms were lack of cognitive environment and native speaker intuition. The most effective, fastest and least effort strategy of interpreting idioms was cognitive environment approach. The other strategies were dependent on cognitive environment approach to be effective. Lexical mismatch among Oluluhya-speaking communities did not significantly impact on the interpretation of Oluluhya idioms because the interlocutors employed the tactics of lexical accommodation, assimilation, code switching and neologism. The study found that the number of fans who misinterpreted the idioms was significant, and therefore the most effective strategy of interpreting idioms was cognitive environment approach. Other strategies were dependent on it. Relevance theory was effective in describing the objectives of the study.