METADATA
Title: Could marriage be a glorified transactional relationship? A cognitive blending approach to analogies of marriage in Dholuo.
Vol. 12(1), 2024, pp. 126-140.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46687/QSBE3439.
Author: George Ouma Ogal
About the author: George Ouma Ogal is a Doctoral student pursuing Applied Linguistics at Laikipia University, Kenya. His major research interests include Cognitive Linguistics, Indigenous Languages, Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, English Language Teaching, Ecolinguistics, Cultural Linguistics, English Semantics and Pragmatics, Phonetics and Phonology.
E-mail: ogalgeorge1@gmail.com
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4663-6309
Author: Assoc. Prof. Vicky Khasandi-Telewa, PhD
About the author: Vicky Khasandi-Telewa, PhD, is an Associate Professor of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics at Laikipia University, Kenya. She is currently a Presidential Postdoctoral fellow at the Center for African Studies in Pennsylvania State University, USA. Her research interests are in Applied Linguistics in African contexts particularly Decoloniality, Language-in-Education policies, Discourses of Gender, Religion, Politics and governance, Refugees, and Ecolinguistics
E-mail: vkhasandi@laikipia.ac.ke
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2841-4013
Author: Evelyn Mahero, PhD
About the author: Evelyn Mahero, PhD, is a lecturer in the department of Literary and Communication studies, Laikipia University. Her field of specialization is Applied Linguistics that includes Critical Discourse Analysis especially in the area of Language and Gender, Language and Power, Language and Culture, and Language and Ideology.
E-mail: emahero@laikipia.ac.ke
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0807-9357
Link: http://silc.fhn-shu.com/issues/2024-1/SILC_2024_Vol_12_Issue_1_126-140_15.pdf
Citation (APA style): Ogal, G. O, Khasandi-Telewa, V., & Mahero, E. (2024). Could marriage be a glorified transactional relationship? A cognitive blending approach to analogies of marriage in Dholuo. Studies in Linguistics, Culture, and FLT, 12(1), 126-140. https://doi.org/10.46687/QSBE3439
Abstract: The last few decades have seen declining marriage rates as people prioritize other life goals over marital commitments. While the explanations for this shifting tide are multifaceted, scholarly evidence suggests that portrayal of marriage in a negative light scares many young adults from the institution. Every community equips its people with experiences, attitudes and linguistic resources to conceptualize abstract phenomena such as marriage. Against this background, this study seeks to analyze analogies of marriage in Dholuo to reveal how cultural resources and experiences influence the conceptualization of marriage. The study adopts a descriptive research design. Data for the study was collected through interviews. Forty (40) speakers of the Kisumu South Nyanza (KSN) dialect were asked to provide analogies used to describe marriage in Dholuo. A total of 66 analogies were collected. Four annotators used the synectic method of analogy identification to verify the collected expressions. One analogy which implies that marriage is a transactional relationship was selected for analysis using the Conceptual Integration Theory (CIT). The study found that analogies pervade daily conversations but they are unconsciously used to describe abstract phenomena such as marriage. Additionally, the study found that in some marriages in the Luo community, love chemistry, compatibility and emotional investment take a backseat and partners see each other as a means to satisfy their selfish interests. The findings also indicate that conceptual mental spaces as a tenet of the CIT provide a plausible model for interpreting marriage as an abstract concept in Dholuo. The study concludes that analogy is culture-specific and should be investigated through the lenses of a cognitive linguist.
Keywords: analogy, marriage, cognitive linguistics, mental spaces, Dholuo
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