A Metaphoric Analysis of Miriri’s Ekegusii Pop Song Ebunda

Victor Ntabo,George Ogal Ouma

doi:10.47631/ijecls.v2i1.163

Abstract

The study undertakes a metaphoric analysis of the animal metaphors in Miriri’s Ekegusii pop song “Ebunda” (a donkey) to reveal meaning. The meaning of the animal metaphors in the song might be elusive to the majority of the fans because metaphor is principally a matter of thought and action which is often situated in a specific context. The study employed the descriptive research design to describe the metaphors as used in the song. First, four coders (including the researchers) were employed to identify the metaphors in the song through the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit. Secondly, the metaphors in the song were classified into animal metaphors based on the levels of the principle of Great Chain of Being metaphor (GCBM). The animal metaphors in “Ebunda” were then explained using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The study reveals that animals are stratified source domains used to effectively conceptualize human beings as highlighted in the song. In addition, the animal metaphors in “Ebunda” are used on a cognitive basis to reveal the perceptions Abagusii (the native speakers of Ekegusii) have about some animals in society. Metaphors are crucial ways of communication and are best explained using the Cognitive Linguistics paradigm.

Highlights

The study employs the Cognitive Linguistics (CL) framework to analyze the animal metaphors in Miriri’s Ekegusii pop song “Ebunda”
The animal metaphors in Miriri’s Ekegusii pop song “Ebunda”, as indicated in Table 1 above contrast a human being with an animal. This conceptualization is in line with Gathigia’s argument that it is common for human beings to be conceptualized through animal behaviors because animals are part of the world
According to Deignan (2003), animal metaphors are both used on a cognitive basis and they reveal the perceptions by a given community towards some animals

Summary

Introduction

The study employs the Cognitive Linguistics (CL) framework to analyze the animal metaphors in Miriri’s Ekegusii pop song “Ebunda” (a donkey). Ungerer and Schmid note that CL is an approach to language that is based on our experience of the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize it (7). CL provides that language is not the product of particular structures in the brain, but of the general cognitive systems that human beings use to conceptualize all aspects of reality (Ntabo 8). Linguists like Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner developed a framework for explaining linguistic phenomena like analogy, metaphor, metonymy and counterfactual reasoning which are not effectively accounted for by the formal approaches to language. Effectively accounted for within the framework of CL because they are considered to be vital linguistic tools that help to make sense of abstract notions through the concrete ones

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion