The Development of Chuga: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Youth Vernacular in Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined Chuga as a distinctive variety of Swahili characterised by specific communicative patterns, localised lexical innovations, and shared sociocultural meanings. The variety is predominantly used by young adults residing in the informal settlements of Arusha, particularly within Sanawari and its surrounding communities. Rather than constituting a mere collection of variety expressions, Chuga encompasses a broader communicative repertoire that includes non-verbal cues, pragmatic strategies, metaphorical extensions, and implicit forms of understanding embedded in peer-group interaction. These features collectively reflect the socioeconomic realities, identity constructions, and creative linguistic practices associated with contemporary urban youth culture. The study adopted a qualitative design, collecting data through semi-structured interviews and naturalistic conversations with Chuga-speaking youth, thereby documenting recurrent lexical items, semantic shifts, and context-dependent meanings. A total of 26 participants were selected using both purposive and convenience sampling strategies. The findings demonstrate that Chuga is not merely a transient youth variety but an emerging urban variety of Swahili within its speech community. The emergence of new lexical items justifies the characterisation of Chuga as a distinct linguistic variety and underscores the need for sustained scholarly attention, particularly regarding language variation, urban multilingualism, youth identity formation, and the ongoing evolution of Swahili in rapidly changing sociocultural contexts.