‘You call your teacher zombi?’: Nicknaming of Tanzanian secondary school teachers

Abstract

Nicknaming of teachers in Tanzanian secondary schools is commonplace, and students use it to communicate their opinions about their social relations regarding their teachers. The study sought to identify which teachers’ nicknames exist in the schools, the reasons for their assignment, and whether or not the practice should continue. Open-ended questionnaires were administered to 263 students in five schools in three regions. We found that some nicknames relate to ferocious beings, fierce creatures, funny-looking objects, comedians, classroom teaching, physical appearance, dress, age and phraseology. Also, some nicknames are used in multiple schools, even when they are far apart. We also found that teachers’ nicknaming is used clandestinely about teachers, who hold more power in the schools. Nicknaming is used for expressing social relations particularly related to students’ loathing, disapproval, mocking and praising. Thus, teachers’ nicknaming is an important sociolinguistic mechanism for expressing power relations.