Department of Humanities and Languages
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/20.500.12092/1883
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Item The Role of Plantosemic Metaphors in the Conceptualization of the Males in Ekegusii: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach(2023-06-06) Ndung’u, Catherine Waithera; Ntabo, Victor OndaraPlants are fundamental in the transference of semantic aspects that are helpful in structuring maleness in society. As a result, plantosemic metaphors which enhance conceptualization of omosacha (a man) are ubiquitous in Ekegusii. This study employed conceptual mappings to evaluate Ekegusii plantosemic metaphors. The study adopted descriptive research design. First, an interview schedule was utilised to establish the terms used to describe men in Ekegusii from 48 Ekegusii native respondents purposively sampled using the criterion of gender. The collected terms were then subjected to the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) in which four annotators undertook the MIPVU procedure. Through MIPVU, ten metaphors were identified. The study then selected three metaphors that describe a man as a plant hence the Ekegusii plantosemic metaphors for analysis. The study reveals that Ekegusii plantosemic metaphors are critical in validating the culturally assigned roles to men among Abagusii. Moreover, the principle of conceptual mappings is useful in divulging critical issues concerning gender relations between men and women in Gusii. The paper concludes that metaphor is a valuable tool of communication and should be explained using the Cognitive Linguistics framework.Item REPRESENTATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN EKEGUSII PROVERBIAL METAPHORS: AN IMAGE SCHEMATIC ACCOUNT(2023-05) Ndung’u, Catherine Waithera; Ntaboi, Victor OndaraProverbial metaphors are useful resources for communicating known truths about life in a given community. Most African proverbial metaphors, however, make reference to customs and situations that might be unfamiliar to some language users especially young people. On the basis of this background, this study employed image schemas to interpret Ekegusii proverbial metaphors that allude to young people. The research was anchored within descriptive research design. Primary data was collected from four Ekegusii respondents of an advanced age of at least seventy years old through an interview schedule. The collected data were then subjected to the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) in which four annotators were used to identify Ekegusii proverbial metaphors. Seven Ekegusii proverbial metaphors that refer to young people were identified through MIPVU. The identified proverbial metaphors were then subjected to the FORCE and CONTAINER schemas and their subsidiary schemas for analysis. The paper reveals that there are norms and customs regarding young people that are conveyed through Ekegusii proverbial metaphors. In addition, image schemas are fundamental in explaining the role, place, and cultural expectations of young men and women in Gusii. The study concludes that proverbial metaphors are useful tools of communication, and should be interpreted using Cognitive Linguistics paradigm. Article visualizations:Item A Categorization Strategy for Objects Metaphors in Ekegusii Pop Songs(Refaad, 2019) Ntabo, Victor OndaraThe principle of Great Chain of Being Metaphor (GCBM) is normally resourceful in the analysis of metaphors. This is because the GCBM assigns a place for any phenomenon in the universe in a strict hierarchical system thus helping in understanding one thing based on another. For example, the objects chain is the second last level which is very useful in conceptualizing objects metaphors in society. Composers of Ekegusii pop songs (EPS) employ objects metaphors which refer to concreteness and abstractness to communicate their message in a subjective manner. However, the GCBM does not effectively account for concreteness and abstractness in objects metaphor analysis. The paper, therefore, devises a categorization strategy to aid in the analysis of the metaphors in EPS. Using a qualitative research design, the study identifies, classifies and interprets the metaphors in the selected EPS using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU). Obwanchani (Love) EPS by Ontiri Bikundo was purposively sampled for the study based on its richness in metaphors and popularity in FM stations in Kenya. The research found that the objects metaphors are source domains in the construction of metaphors related to human beings in EPS. The paper concludes that metaphors are crucial ways of communication and should be analyzed using a Cognitive Linguistics approach. The study recommends that language researchers should adopt a categorization strategy to effectively analyze the objects metaphors.