Department of Modern Languages

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/5034

Browse

Filters

2014 - 20192

Settings

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Women, Metaphors and the Legitimisation of Gender Bias in Spanish Proverbs
    (Journal of International Women's Studies, 2019) Lomotey, B.A.
    This paper aims to analyze the role of proverbs in the sustenance of gender violence within the Spanish context. As demonstrated by feminist linguistic activities, one of the avenues through which the status quo of both men and women is enacted and sustained is through language. However, given the complex nature of the relationship between gender and language, speakers often overlook the role of discourse on gender relations. The author investigates this interconnection using a multidimensional approach which includes insights from Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) theory of metaphor and Austin’s (1965) Speech Act theory. This study confirms that quite several Spanish proverbs contain violent metaphors that can unconsciously shape speakers’ perceptions and actions. Misogynous ideologies in Spanish proverbs should therefore continue to be exposed, criticized, and eliminated through conscientization to sustain the campaign for gender equality.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Sankcfa and Drama: A Study of Adinkra and Akan Clan Symbols in Modern Ghanaian Plays
    (University of Ghana, 2014-12) Appiah-Adjei, D; Owusu, M.O; Opong, R.K; Osei, A; Sankcfa and Drama: A Study of Adinkra and Akan Clan Symbols in Modern Ghanaian Plays
    The purpose of this research is to explore the use of traditional symbols, especially, the Sankcfa Theory which means: it is not forbidden to go into history to validate or reclaim the past, in its entirety as a conceptual foundation which Ghanaians and other African artists have engaged in their creative representations. Most Ghanaian playwrights, in particular, during the colonial and post-colonial periods, are known to have extensively employed this concept as the main thrust of their creative expressions. Rhetorically, one wonders to what extent the narratives in Adinkra symbols of which Sankcfa is canonical and Akan clan symbols (Totems) have been employed by Ghanaian playwrights. The plays used in this study include; 4 selected plays; The Legend of Aku Sika by Martin Owusu, in respect of the reclaiming of Ghanaian folktale as a valid resource for modern theatrical expression, In the Chest of a Woman by Efo Kodjo Mawugbe and The Dilemma of a Ghost by Ama Ata Aidoo, which espouse the dichotomies of modern and traditional Ghanaian societies and, Edufa by Efua Sutherland, a play adapted from the classical Greek play, Alcestis by Euripides, which reinforces the commonalities of world views of traditional or primeval societies, however, disparate. The method employed are one-on-one interviews on Adinkra and Akan Clan symbols, field notes, field letters, original play production (Death on Trial), essays and memory data. The study, therefore, is largely Qualitative (Content Analysis (CA), ethnographic and phenomenological). The methods are unique to this study as they provide a reflexive analysis document, complemented by recognition of symbolic events that emanate from Akan traditions. Findings from the study reveal several major thematic manifestations of physical objects, social norms and abstract ideas of the Akan traditions and cultural practices. The study also exposes the dramatic elements in the narratives in Adinkra and Akan Clan symbols. The final product is an amalgamation of academic and literary writing, profiles, pictorial representations of traditional symbols and narratives.