Description:
KiUru is one of the Ethnic Community Languages spoken by the Chagga people in Kilimanjaro region in
Tanzania. This language is counted under the Chagga group along with other Chagga related languages like
KiRombo, KiKibosho, KiMashami, KiMochi, KiVunjo and others. It is named KiUru as it is spoken by people
residing in Uru; a part of Kilimanjaro region, particularly Moshi rural district.
This paper investigates the way noun phrases are formed in KiUru. The order of their formation (constituents)
has been examined thoroughly and then the writer sum up with how noun phrases (NPs) can be categorized in
this particular language.
Therefore the main objectives of this paper were:
i. To find out the Criteria for categorizing noun phrase elements in KiUru.
ii. To examine Noun phrase constituents and order in KiUru.
In arriving at these objectives, the writer posed the following questions as a guide:
i. What are the criteria relevant in categorizing the dependents of the noun in KiUru?
ii. What elements can modify KiUru noun and in what order?
A conclusion has been drawn from this work in that, like other Bantu languages, the structure of KiUru NPs can
be presented in a particular order with the following elements: possessives, demonstrative, adjectives, numeral,
quantifiers, relative clause as well as interrogatives.