Names and naming in Gorwaa

Gorwaa (South Cushitic, Afro-Asiatic) is an endangered language, spoken by approximately 133,000 individuals in the Babati district of central Tanzania. Analysis of the use of traditional Gorwaa names shows a continual decline and a reorientation toward Christian, Muslim, and Swahili naming conventions.  As such, the naming tradition under examination may itself be viewed as also endangered. This is not trivial, as personal names and how they are bestowed provides a window into the cultural life of a people, as well as into historical language dynamics. Through interviews with Gorwaa people, listening to relevant life stories in the Gorwaa language and cultural material archive, and using a list of 750 Gorwaa personal names, collected during fieldwork in Babati district between 2012 and 2016, an ethnographic sketch of Gorwaa naming conventions is provided. Many of the semantically transparent names in the list refer to actions or events – a common theme throughout naming conventions on the African continent.  More specifically, many personal names play a  role in warding off evil, ensuring family continuity, as well as honouring figures of power.  Extensive borrowings from Datooga will be considered as a testament to long-term, sustained contact in the area.  Recent borrowings from Swahili and English provide insight into the nature of these relatively new contacts.