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Subject: search.filters.subject.Gĩkũyũ

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    Metaphoric Conceptualizations of Death in Gĩkũyũ
    (KOAJKorea Open Access Journals, 2017) Gathigia, Moses Gatambuki
    Using the dictum that metaphor is a conceptual mapping from a concrete source domain to an abstract target domain, this paper identifies and categorizes the metaphors of death in Gĩkũyũ using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. To achieve this objective, a purposive sample of twenty speakers of Gĩkũyũ was interviewed. The study collected 47 metaphors of death as the target domain. Having employed the mnemonics “TARGET DOMAIN IS SOURCE DOMAIN” as posited by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), the study identified four conceptual metaphors of death in Gĩkũyũ as follows: DEATH IS A JOURNEY; DEATH IS THE END; DEATH IS A REST; and DEATH IS A SUMMON. The study concludes that the Cognitive linguistics model provides tools for understanding, interpreting and accounting for metaphors of death in Gĩkũyũ.
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    Vocabulary Instruction in Kenyan Pre-Schools: A Semantic Field Theoretical Approach
    (Coretrain Journal of Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, 2018) Gathigia, Moses Gatambuki
    Vocabulary teaching has always been a keystone in English language teaching. However, the best vocabulary instruction strategy to be used by language teachers has always been a herculean task. Against this background, this study explores vocabulary instruction on the basis of the Semantic Field theory, which looks at the semantic relatedness and its effects in the development of second language lexical repertoire. The study adopted a survey research design because the focus was on collecting Gĩkũyũ songs that could be used to highlight the applicability of the Semantic Field theory in vocabulary acquisition. A sample of 12 adult respondents who learned English as a second language using Gĩkũyũ as their mother tongue in rural primary schools assisted in the collection of songs. After four Gĩkũyũ songs were collected through tape-recording, purposive sampling was employed to select three songs that the research deemed the most appropriate for the teaching of English lexical items. The study also conducted interviews with two Kenyan linguists in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the Semantic Field theory in the acquisition of lexis. Content analysis, which is within the qualitative research paradigm, guided the analysis of the songs in order to identify the parts of the songs that were relevant to the achievement of the research objective. The study found that learning words with the same semantic field allows learners to connect different connotations and meanings of the lexemes. The study concludes that the Semantic Field theory is an effective strategy that provides learners with a cluster of words that are related in their meanings. The study recommends that teachers should find appropriate words to set up semantic fields of the vocabulary and at the same time make presentation of vocabulary an interesting learning process for the learners.
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    Metaphoric Conceptualisation of “LOVE IS A PLANT” in Gĩkũyũ: A Cognitive-Semantics Perspective
    (Bulletin of Advanced English Studies, 2019) Gathigia, Moses Gatambuki; Maitaria, Joseph Nyehita
    Starting from the premise that a metaphor is a cognitive mechanism in which one experiential domain is partially mapped onto a different experiential domain , this paper examines the metaphoric conceptualis ation of “LOVE IS A PLANT” in Gĩkũyũ from a cognitive semantics perspective. In order to achieve this objective, t he study adopted the fundamental tenets of the C onceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). An interview schedule was administered to 48 speakers of Gĩkũyũ by the researcher assisted by two research assistants of different gender. The data collected were subjected to the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) to find out whether the lexical items collected were metaphorical or not. Using four annotators, includin g the researcher, the study identified nine plant osemic metaphors which play a pivotal role in the understanding of love in G ĩ kũyũ. The study concludes that plantosemic metaphors are co nceptual phenomena which are integral component of the Gĩkũyũ cultural milieu expressed in language . Further, the study also notes
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    Analysis of Semantic Fields in Gĩkũyũ Church Sermons in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2018-08) Gitonga, Catherine N.; Gathigia, Moses G.; Nyarigoti, Naom M.
    The notion of semantic field is a structural model for lexical semantics which is attributed to Jost Trier in the Semantic Field Theory. The semantic field is an indispensable part of any language since without it information may not be conveyed appropriately. To find the best way to help people comprehend semantic fields, and especially the domain of church sermons, is an issue which requires research to crystallize. However, studies conducted on semantic fields and their implications on the comprehension of church sermons remains scanty. It is against this background that the study analyses the semantic fields in Gĩkũyũ church sermons in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study employed a descriptive survey design and targeted live sermons delivered in 84 parishes of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Nyeri County, Kenya. Eight live sermons were purposively sampled. The data was collected through tape recording. A lexical semanticist was also interviewed. Content data analysis was used to analyse the semantic fields in Gĩkũyũ church sermons. Data is presented in tables in which Gĩkũyũ semantic fields used in the sermons are listed and their gloss provided. The semantic fields identified are subjected to further analyses based on the tangibility and non-tangibility criteria. The study found that semantic fields are elaborately utilized in Gĩkũyũ church sermons. Based on the semantic field analyses, the following implications for the study are noted: (i) there is merit of an extensive theoretical overview of semantic fields of church sermons (previously subject to cursory treatment), (ii) there are methodological consequences for the study of semantic fields addressing church sermons, (iii) the ability to use semantic fields correctly and appropriately is an important part of linguistic competence, and (iv) it is easier for vocabulary items that belong to the same semantic field to be understood since they will be able to form a pattern of interrelated words in a person’s mind. The study concludes that, inter alia, the broad semantic fields are based on the key issues addressed by the sermons, that is, challenges and sins, which are believed to be part and parcel of a Christian life. The study recommends that further research on semantic fields be conducted on other items of the church service like songs and prayers.
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