Swilla, Imani N.
Description:
This paper discusses findings of a research on the vitality of Chindali, a language spoken in south-west Tanzania, among speakers who have migrated to a new area, away from its heartland. Research shows that there is language maintenance. Several factors have contributed to the maintenance of the language - the desire for preservation and survival as a distinct group in the new location and pride in the culture, monolingualism, dominance of Chindali as the language of the family and community, the rural nature of the population, low levels of formal education and continued contacts with Bundali. The paper raises the need to conduct more studies on vernacular languages in contact, in order to understand the phenomenon and its impacts.