Metaphors Used To Portray Masculinity And Feminity In Dholuo Benga Music: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach.

Abstract

So powerful is language that it has the ability to not only annihilate but also restore relationships. Through it power relations are instituted. In Patriarchal societies of which the Luo nation is part, power relations have the ability to conceive and nourish a sexist culture and a sexist language by extension. In sexist cultures, negative representations of women are common place in varied discourses. In such conversations, women are degraded, subjugated, demeaned and adulterated. They are also subjected to hostility especially in social discourse. The other gender on the other hand, is portrayed as superior, dominant, powerful and is therefore elevated. It is on this stand point that this paper seeks to explore the language used to portray masculinity and feminity with the aim of unveiling the existing biases in the language used to refer to women as opposed to the one used to refer to men since such a language has grave implications on the young generation especially the girl child whose self-esteem and general world view is likely to be affected by such discourse. The study sought to address the following objectives: to explain the metaphors used to refer to men and women in Dholuo Benga music and to illustrate the cognitive processes in the creation of metaphors in Dholuo Benga music. The study adopted a Cognitive Linguistic approach in analyzing these metaphors. The study employed data in the form of words and expressions downloaded from You tube. A sample of ten Benga songs was selected using purposive sampling and they were subjected to analysis based on the tenets of Conceptual Integration Theory. The findings of the study indicate that depiction of both men and women in Benga music is largely done through the use of figurative language and the Luo society prejudices women while it dignifies men.