Swahili proverbs from a cultural and cognitive perspective
Swahili proverbs from a cultural and cognitive perspective

Author(s): Iwona Kraska-Szlenk
Subject(s): Cultural history, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: metaphor; metonymy; proverbs; Swahili culture; Swahili language
Summary/Abstract: The paper analyzes Swahili proverbs from the perspective of cognitive processes, such as metaphor and metonymy, involved in the mapping between the proverbs’ surface structures (source domains) and their figurative meanings (target domains). Special attention is paid to the rich imagery of proverbs and the highly culture-specific choices of source domains, which draw from the geographical environment, local traditions and people’s beliefs and ideas. Swahili proverbs also creatively explore universal source domains, such as those of the human body or family relations.

• Details
• Contents