Postgraduate Profile

Emily Ayieta Ondondo

PhD Candidate, School of Humanities & Social Science

Discipline: Linguistics
Faculty/Division: Education and Arts
Email: Emily.Ondondo@newcastle.edu.au
Campus: Callaghan, Newcastle

Current Research

PhD Thesis Title: The Phonology and Morphology of Kisa: An Optimality Theoretic Account

Supervisors: Dr. Mark Harvey (Principal) & Dr. Alan Libert

Abstract

This research is about the phonology and morphology of Kisa. Kisa is a dialect of Luyia language spoken in Western Kenya, and has approximately 89,000 speakers. Luyia, as a whole, has about 19 dialects. The phonology and morphology of a language are the backbones and the basis on which other aspects of language (such as syntax and semantics) are described. Despite the fact that Kisa is not a minor language, its phonology and morphology has not been adequately analysed and described. The only in-depth study in the phonology of Kisa was conducted in 1936 and published in 1976 by Sample. This study was described in the traditional rule based theory. The current research, thus, is motivated by the lack of in-depth research in the language, and particularly on the current synchronic state of the language in modern linguistic theories; hence the couching of this research in Optimality Theory.

The main objective of the research is to describe the main phonological and morphological issues, in Kisa, in the OT framework. More specifically, the research aims at analysing the interaction of word structure and metrical structure. The research intends to look at the structure of simple words, compound words and complex words, in terms of root and word level affixation, compounding and reduplication, and how this interacts with stress, an area that has received less attention in the Bantu literature, on the assumption that stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
 
The phonological issues that have implications for word structure and stress assignment, that the research is interested are: first, the treatment of nasal consonant sequences, an issue that remains controversial in Bantu phonology, which also surface in Kisa. Second, the issue of geminates; many Bantu languages are descried as having no geminates other than Luganda, but Kisa has geminates emerging from different situations, which need be investigated. Third, how vowel length interacts with apocope, something which has not been addressed, in the Bantu literature.

Overall, the research endeavours to help document an under-described language and provide a database on which other linguistic theories can be tested. This will in turn add to the body of knowledge in, and the understanding of, the phonology and morphology of Kisa and Luyia dialects in particular, and Bantu languages in general.

Qualifications

  • 2009 PhD Candidate (Linguistics)
  • 2004 Master of Arts in Linguistics, Egerton University, Kenya.
    • Thesis Title: "Lexical Relationships in Discourse Cohesiveness of Spoken Texts in the Kisa Dialect of Luhya Language".
  • 2000  Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics, Sociology & Literature). Egerton University, Kenya (Awarded with First Class Honours).

Language Spoken

English, Swahili, Luyia

Professional Background

  • 2009 Continuing Tutor, School of Humanities & Social Science, University of Newcastle.
  • 2004 - 2008: Assistant lecturer, Kigali Institute of Education- Kigali Rwanda.
  • 2004-2008: Visiting lecturer, National University of Rwanda, Butare, Rwanda.


Research

Research Interests

Bantu linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax and sociolinguistics; Lexicography and Lexical Computing.

Publications

2008 The Grammar of English, Unit 2, KIE Module 1 English Language. KIE.
2008 Oral Communication and Effective Writing 1, Unit 3, KIE Module 1 English
Language. KIE.
2007 Introduction to Language and Linguistics, Unit 1, KIE Module 1 English Language. KIE.
2006). Oral and Writing Skills, KIE Module 12 English   
Language. KIE.

Selected Presentations

2008 E-Learning and scaling up the war against HIV /AIDS for national development. 1st Regional e-Learning Conference 2008, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
2006 The Effects of Defensive Communication on Result Oriented Management. National conference on result oriented management 2006, Nairobi Kenya.
2001 Ignorance and Education. Conference of the Kenya Association of Third World Studies (ATWS), Egerton University, Kenya.
2001 Discourse Cohesiveness. Seminar series, Egerton University, Kenya.
2001 Lexical Cohesion. Seminar series,  Egerton University, Kenya.
2001 Effective Communication. Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium, Laikipia campus (Egerton University), Kenya.

Research Supervision

Thesis Supervision

  • Twenty (20) undergraduate dissertations (Theoretical and Applied Linguistics). Kigali Institute of Education, Kigali, Rwanda.
  • Three (3) undergraduate dissertations (Theoretical and Applied Linguistics). National University of Rwanda, Butare, Rwanda.

Thesis Examination

Forty-five (45) Undergraduate dissertations, (Theoretical and Applied Linguistics). Kigali Institute of Education, Kigali, Rwanda.

Teaching Interests

  • Phonology
  • Morphology
  • Syntax
  • Phonetics
  • Language Acquisition
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Semantics and Pragmatics
  • Discourse Analysis
  • Sociolinguistics

Professional Activities

Peer reviewer for KIE Distance Training Modules: