A conceptual metaphor analysis of gender construction in Lwisukha of western Kenya

Abstract

This article categorizes metaphors that construct gender in Lwisukha, one of the luhya languages spoken in western Kenya into different distinct conceptual domains. This is prompted by the fact that despite the rich oral traditions of Kenyan indigenous languages, there is scanty literature on how gender ideologies are structurally maintained and communicated through metaphor. The objective was to analyse the distinct conceptual domains of metaphors that construct gender in Lwisukha. The study was framed within the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (ECMT). The framework provided the cognitive parameters that helped to systematically analyse and contextualize gender-related metaphors in Lwisukha. A descriptive qualitative research design was used. The study purposively sampled 80 respondents, including boda boda operators and other native speakers, to gather data on social and cultural activities. A corpus of 60 metaphorical expressions about gender were collected, and the metaphors identified using the Pragglejaz Group’s (2007) Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP). The data was gathered using audio recorders, focused group discussions guide and key informant interviews schedule. The data collected was transcribed, translated into English, and analysed thematically. The study findings revealed the patriarchal gender representation and the concrete source domains used to describe men and women are plants, animals, objects, actions and natural phenomena. The results revealed how Lwisukha language carries information from plants, animals and natural world to build and assess femininity, masculinity in metaphors such as A WOMAN IS A PARASITIC PLANT (Mkhali ni shikulikuli) and A MAN IS A GREEN MAMBA (Msatsa ni inzukha iveve). The Lwisukha metaphors above show dependency in women and dangerous authority in men who should be admired from a distance and never be taken for granted. The study contributes in scholarship in areas of indigenous languages, cognitive linguistics, metaphor studies and gender by providing descriptive linguistic data on metaphorical conceptualization in an indigeneous Kenyan language. The study recommends that the metaphorical expressions in Lwisukha and other Kenyan indigenous languages need to be documented and preserved by linguists, cultural agencies, and organizations within the communities. Such metaphors form part of cultural heritage and help understand indigenous knowledge systems, which have been under threat from language change and globalization.