The role of address terms in Iraqw verbal greetings

This study investigates the functions of address terms in Iraqw verbal greetings. To achieve this objective, verbal greetings were collected from research participants who are native speakers of the Iraqw language residing in Getaghul and Bondeni villages, in the Manyara Region, Tanzania. The participants were rural farmers, some of whom also engaged in small-scale livestock keeping. The patterns of greetings were recorded using a voice recorder. The data were then transcribed. After the transcription, address terms used within greeting exchanges were noted down. Thereafter, interviews were conducted with six elderly individuals knowledgeable in the Iraqw language to gain insight into the functions of address terms. The data were analyzed thematically based on the role of address terms. The analysis revealed five functions of address terms: showing respect, denoting intimacy, indicating a familial bond, reflecting social identity, and indicating social distance. These findings indicate the reciprocal and non-reciprocal relationships reflected in the use of address terms among Iraqw native speakers, thereby supporting Brown and Gilman’s model (1960).