Metaphorical euphemisms in death-discourse among the Nzema

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.