Metaphorical euphemisms in death-discourse among the Nzema
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Studies in African Languages and Cultures
Abstract
This article seeks to deepen our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in death
euphemisms in Nzema, a Kwa language of Ghana. The article highlights the metaphorical
“mappings” across conceptual domains, where the concept of death (target domain) is
well understood in terms of more physical events such as journey, departure, return, invitation, continuous sleep, losing a fight, etc. (source domain). It is demonstrated that the Nzema
conceptualise death also as retirement, subtraction, and bereavement, as living in darkness, being
missing at the crossroads, burial as hiding/preserving, burying as sowing a seed, coffin as
house for an individual, cemetery/grave as better place, place of rest, and corpse as a thing
among others.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Nzema culture, death discourse, conceptual metaphor