A Cognitive Approach to EkeGusii Pop Songs

Naom Moraa Nyarigoti,Victor Ondara Ntabo,Moses Gatambuki Gathigia

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.3p.166

Naom Moraa Nyarigoti, Victor Ondara Ntabo + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.3p.166

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Abstract

A review of literature on pop songs reveals that composers use metaphors to communicate their feelings. In particular, the meaning of the metaphors in EkeGusii pop songs needs to be interpreted to reveal the message of the composers. The EkeGusii pop singer Christopher Mosioma’s (Embarambamba) songs have gained fame in Kenya because of their richness in the usage of metaphors. One of Christopher Mosioma’s songs, amasomo (education) which was launched in 2015 has gained acclaim from Kenyans. The song amasomo (education) is basically presented as a piece of advice to students to embrace education in order to optimally reap from its benefits. The study identified 10 metaphors in the song amasomo (education) through the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit. In order to interpret the metaphors in the EkeGusii pop song amasomo (education), the Conceptual Metaphor Theory complemented by the folk conception of the generic Great Chain of Being Metaphor were employed. The study employed four coders (including the researchers) in the identification of the metaphors. The study found that, inter alia, animal, plant and object metaphors are used in the song amasomo (education). The study concludes that the metaphors in the EkeGusii pop songs belong inherently to different levels of the generic Great Chain of Being Metaphor.

Highlights

Pop songs express social messages that can be traced to a conscious communicative effort of the composer (Bikknell, 2002)
In order to interpret the metaphors in the EkeGusii pop song amasomo, the Conceptual Metaphor Theory complemented by the folk conception of the generic Great Chain of Being Metaphor were employed
This study found the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) applicable since it was employed to analyze the metaphors in EkeGusii pop songs (EPS)

Summary

Introduction

Pop songs express social messages that can be traced to a conscious communicative effort of the composer (Bikknell, 2002). Bikknell further notes that pop songs are often emotional and they mostly relay issues related to love. The aim of the paper, is to interpret the metaphors in EkeGusii pop songs (EPS) using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The following famous pop song singers and music groups have been recorded in history: Crooners of the 1930s and 1940s, Beetles of the 1960s, the American Back street Boys of the 1980s and 1990s, and Britney Spears and Mariah Carey of the late 1990s and early 2000 (Simon & Will, 2004). The pop music includes the subgenres of rock, jazz, rhythm and blues, and some folk songs (Simon & Will, 2001)

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Results

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