Semantic Metamorphosis or Reconceptualisation?: A Case of Shona in Zimdancehall Music

This study analyses the occurrence of semantic change in the lyrics of selected Zimdancehall songs. Semantic change involves the extension of the meaning of words or the introduction of new meanings to already existing words. Music is a tool of communication and the language choice in lyrical compositions has an impact on the speech community and the language itself. Language is a communicative activity that depends highly on context, be it an ongoing discourse or social or ideological changes. The present study extracts and explains words and terms, already existent in the Shona language, that gain new meanings when used in the Zimdancehall context. It focuses on the outcomes of meaning change and lists types of semantic change such as metaphoric, metonymic extension and broadening. These types also include the development of positive and negative meanings on existing words when used in the Zimdancehall context. The study also assesses how the semantic change in the Zimdancehall arena affects language-based domains. It further exposes the factors that facilitate semantic change in the context of Zimdancehall. As the study is qualitative, it is reliant on data collection methods like document analysis and interviews. The results of the research are reflective of the collected data. The results of the research show that semantic change is not only the introduction of new meaning to already existing words but can also be a complete change of meaning over time. Results indicate that semantic change is not haphazard but well-motivated. Zimdancehall artists facilitate semantic change in the genre through creative linguistic strategies that also border on euphemism when singing about taboo matters to evade censorship.