Author: Prof. Stella Muchemwa, PhD (Midlands State University)
Abstract: Names are very significant in people’s lives for they reveal historical, social and cultural ideologies of a people. Place names can be said to be an under-utilized resource in historical, social and cultural contexts which, when fully exploited, has much to tell on what people should value. When linguistically analyzing these names, morphological and syntactical aspects usually merge. This study explored the ideological, morphological and syntactic perspectives of the linguistic landscape of Solusi University, specifically focusing on places on the campus, roads, hostels and other important buildings like the library and halls of residents. A critical internal analysis of name- structures was done. The researcher used qualitative research methodology where documents were studied and semi-structured interviews were administered to local elderly people to receive data on names at the university. Findings show that Solusi University names can be classified under the syntagmatic morpho-syntactic category. Again, the naming at the university brought out what can be termed contribution ideology. Most of places were given names of people who significantly contributed to the establishment and development of Solusi (first as a college and later as a university). The structure of these names reveals morphological and syntactical patterns that are worth to be studied. The study recommends people awareness of place names in their locales so that they appreciate what name contributors have done to humanity. People should also study place names for their aesthetic value as well as for their reference to humanity’s social history.