A linguistic study of women's clothing style names

The purpose of this study was to investigate women’s clothing styles names in Nyamagana District, Mwanza, Tanzania. Specifically, it aimed to identify the names of women’s clothing styles, analyse their linguistic structures and to examine the sociocultural meanings associated with them. The study employed a qualitative research approach and descriptive research design. The study was guided by Basic linguistic theory. Data were collected from 30 participants aged 20 years and above, comprising women who wear the clothes, clothing sellers, and tailors from Pamba, Mirongo, and Nyegezi wards. Methods for data collection involved interview and focused group discussion, the data were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that women’s clothing style names, includes names associated with dresses or gowns, skirts, trousers and religious wear, the linguistic structures analysis identified single lexical items, Morphological Structure and Noun Classes in Women’s Clothing Style Names Noun Phrases with Associative and Descriptive Modifiers and embedded noun phrases. Furthermore, the findings show that clothing style names carry sociocultural meanings related to bridal identity, marriage celebration and mourning. These meanings validate that clothing names communicate more than the physical characteristics of garments; they also reflect people’s experiences, beliefs, and social practices. The study concludes that women’s clothing style names constitute an important part of everyday language and provide valuable insights into the relationship between language, culture, and society. The study contributes to the documentation of women’s clothing style names and recommends further linguistic research on clothing naming practices in other communities in Tanzania.