Makala hii inahusu dhima za kialami pragmatiki hivi katika mawasiliano ya Kiswahili. Data za makala hii zimekusanywa kutoka katika mazungumzo yanayofanywa katika vijiwe vya mamalishe, vipindi vya televisheni na kutoka katika soga za mtandao wa WhatsApp. Uchambuzi wa data umeongozwa na Nadharia ya Umuktadhaishaji ya Gumperz (1982) na kwa kutumia mbinu ya uchambuzi kilongo. Matokeo ya uchunguzi huu yanaonesha kwamba kialami pragmatiki hivi kina dhima tofautitofauti kinapotumiwa katika mawasiliano. Miongoni mwa dhima hizo ni kutumika kama kianzilishi cha swali, kusisitiza jambo, kunukuu mazungumzo, kuashiria wakati uliopo au muda si mrefu, kudokeza makadirio au kutokuwa na hakika ya jambo na kutumika kama kiolezi. Kwa ujumla, makala hii inadokeza kwamba lugha ya Kiswahili ina utajiri wa kimaana unaotokana na matumizi ya vialami pragmatiki. Hivyo, tafiti zaidi zinaweza kufanyika kuchunguza dhima za vialami pragmatiki vingine katika lugha hii.

English version The contribution of gestures on meaning has attracted attention of many scholars (c.f Goodwin, 1986; Mc Neill, 1992; Kendon, 2004; Kidwell, 2013; Müller, 2013; Zhi-pheng 2014). Many researches dealt on its contributions in English language. However, its contributions specifically on Swahili has been given less or no attention. As noted by Kendon (2004) and Zhi-pheng (2014) that the intepretation of gestures can yield different intepretations from one culture to another. The current article investigates the contributions of gestures on meaning in Swahili. Pragmatic markers (henceforth PMs) eh, sawa, mh, and ah have been used as case study. Data was obtained from ‘vijiwe vya kahawa’ (setting of informal conversations created around people drinking coffee) and ‘vijiwe vya mamantilie’ (setting of informal conversations created around women preparing and selling food on the streets. The analysis was done using Social Semiotic Approach under Multimodality Theory by Kress (2010). The results indicate that gestures contribute to the meaning-making. It was observed that various gestures (such as facial expressions, eye gaze, mouth, head and hand movements) were used in conjunctions with uttering the PMs hence helped to convey their meanings. Generally, the article concludes that spoken Swahili is rich in meanings complemented by the contributions of gestures. Thus, the current study calls for more researches on gestures in Kiswahili since they play a big role in the sense-making process.   Kiswahili version Mchango wa ishara za mwili kwenye maana ni suala ambalo limewashughulisha wataalamu wengi (taz. kwa mfano Goodwin, 1986; Mc Neill, 1992; Kendon, 2004; Kidwell, 2013; Müller, 2013; Zhi-pheng 2014). Hata hivyo, tafiti nyingi zilizofanywa zinahusu mchango wa ishara za mwili kwenye maana katika lugha ya Kiingereza na si Kiswahili. Kufuatia tahadhari wanayoitoa Kendon (2004) na Zhi-pheng (2014) kwamba matumizi ya ishara za mwili yanaweza kutofautiana baina ya lugha moja na nyingine, makala hii inachunguza mchango wa ishara za mwili kwenye maana katika lugha ya Kiswahili. Vialami Pragmatiki (kuanzia sasa VIPRA) eh, sawa, mh na ah vimetumika kama uchunguzi kifani. Data zimekusanywa kutoka katika mazungumzo yasiyo rasmi yanayofanywa na wazungumzaji wa Kiswahili katika vijiwe vya kahawa na vya mamantilie. Uchambuzi wa data umeongozwa na Nadharia ya Njianyingi za Mawasiliano kwa kutumia mkabala wa Semiotiki Jamii wa Kress (2010). Matokeo ya uchunguzi huu yanaonesha kwamba ishara za mwili zina mchango kwenye maana za eh, sawa, mh na ah. Ishara tofautitofauti za (kama vile mwonekano wa sura na macho, kichwa, mikono, macho na mdomo) zilionekana kutumika pamoja na eh, sawa, mh na ah na; hivyo, zilisaidia kuchanuza maana za VIPRA hivyo. Kwa ujumla, makala hii inadokeza kwamba lugha ya Kiswahili (hususani Kiswahili cha mazungumzo) ina hazina kubwa ya maana inayotokana na mchango wa ishara za mwili. Hivyo, ipo haja ya kufanya uchunguzi zaidi ili kubaini ishara mbalimbali za mwili na namna zinavyotoa mchango kwenye maana.

This study examines the pragmatic functions of the marker sawa in spoken Swahili. The data have been obtained from informal conversations made by Swahili speakers in informal social settings. These settings include “vijiwe vya kahawa” (setting of informal conversations created around people drinking coffee) and “vijiwe vya mamantilie” (setting of informal conversations created around women preparing and selling food on the streets). The analysis of the data, performed within the framework of the contextualization theory (Gumperz 1982), shows that, apart from its basic connotation of agreement, the marker sawa conveys other meanings, depending on these very contexts of communication, and therefore acquires also various pragmatic functions. The pragmatic functions identified in this work include: to show that the speaker agrees with what has been said but on a condition (I agree, but…), as a receipt marker, as a tag-positioned-comprehension check, as an answer to the question showing that the speaker has understood what has been said (Yes, I understand), as a continuer, as a negative releasing marker, and as a gap filler. Interestingly, the study shows also that intonation and other paralinguistic features (like gestures) play a role in determining the pragmatic functions of this marker. The article concludes that the pragmatic markers in spoken Swahili are rich in meanings and are used to show speakers’ attitudes and emotions, therefore manifesting a deep and meaningful interconnection between the language and its contextualized experience.