• Login
  • Help Guide
View Item 
  •   JOOUST IR Home
  • Theses & Dissertations
  • Doctor of Philosophy Theses and Dissertations
  • School of Education, Humanities & Social Sciences
  • View Item
  •   JOOUST IR Home
  • Theses & Dissertations
  • Doctor of Philosophy Theses and Dissertations
  • School of Education, Humanities & Social Sciences
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

A Cognitive Analysis of Metaphors in Political Discourse in Kenya: the 2005 Constitutional Referendum

Thumbnail
Publication Date
2018
Author
Otieno, Raphael Francis
Type
Thesis
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract/Overview

Cognitive Linguistics (CL) posits that a cognitive study of language is the study of patterns of conceptualization. It views metaphor as a powerful conceptual mapping at the core of human thought in which abstract concepts are structured in terms of conceptual domains of human experience. Embodiment emphasizes the importance of human experience, which manifests itself at the cognitive level though image schemas. Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) has been extensively used to study conceptual metaphor. CMT, however, falls short of accounting for a full comprehension of metaphors. This study, therefore, combines the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis and the Image Schema Theory to investigate use of linguistic metaphors in political discourse in Kenya; to describe conceptual mappings of metaphors in political discourse in Kenya; to describe ideologies in metaphors in political discourse in Kenya; and to test the extent to which image schemas account for the comprehension of metaphors in political discourse in Kenya. To achieve these objectives, the study employed both qualitative and quantitative data research techniques. Document review of 120 newspaper leaves provided by the researcher was done by each of the four coders assisting the researcher in order to obtain verbatim recorded reports of 'metaphorical' expressions used by the politicians during the 2005 constitutional referendum campaigns. The study population thus comprised metaphorical expressions of those who campaigned for and those who campaigned against the 2005 Draft Constitution. Purposive sampling was employed to get the sample size. Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) was then used to isolate Metaphor Related Words (MRWs). Seventy five (75) metaphorical expressions were found. Thematic coding of categories was then done from which eight conceptual metaphor models and four basic image schemas were derived. Conceptual metaphor mappings were then done based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) while Image Schema Theory (IST) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) assisted in the discussion of image schemas and ideologies respectively. Quantitative data was analysed by calculating the percentage of metaphors that were accounted for by image schemas. The results demonstrate that six (6) ideologies pervade Kenya's political discourse. The study further demonstrates that embodied experience in political discourse in Kenya manifests itself through the CONTAINER, the PATH, the LINK and the SCALE basic image schemas. This study sheds light on the teaching and learning of the English language as conceptual metaphorization is displayed in word formation, in semantic changes and in collocation of words. The study also demonstrates how politicians conceptualize politics, which reveals their ideologies and their policies. The study further offers insight to scholars on how image schemas help in the comprehension of metaphors. The study concludes that metaphor is an important cognitive mechanism for the conceptualization of politics in Kenya; that metaphor and ideology are intertwined; that politics in Kenya is conceptualized in terms of the PATH, CONTAINER, LINK and SCALE image schemas; and that no single approach to meaning is suffice in the study of metaphor.

Publisher
JOOUST
Permalink
http://ir.jooust.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/11601
Collections
  • School of Education, Humanities & Social Sciences [117]

Browse

All of JOOUST IRCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

LoginRegister

Statistics

View Usage Statistics

Contact Us

Copyright © 2023-4 Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST)
P.O. Box 210 - 40601
Bondo – Kenya

Useful Links

  • Report a problem with the content
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Deaccession/Takedown Policy

TwitterFacebookYouTubeInstagram

  • University Policies
  • Access to Information
  • JOOUST Quality Statement