Abstract:
So powerful is language that it has the
ability to not only annihilate but also restore
relationships. Through it power relations are
instituted. In Patriarchal societies of which the Luo
nation is part, power relations have the ability to
conceive and nourish a sexist culture and a sexist
language by extension. In sexist cultures, negative
representations of women are common place in
varied discourses. In such conversations, women are
degraded, subjugated, demeaned and adulterated.
They are also subjected to hostility especially in
social discourse. The other gender on the other
hand, is portrayed as superior, dominant, powerful
and is therefore elevated. It is on this stand point
that this paper seeks to explore the language used to
portray masculinity and feminity with the aim of
unveiling the existing biases in the language used to
refer to women as opposed to the one used to refer
to men since such a language has grave implications
on the young generation especially the girl child
whose self-esteem and general world view is likely
to be affected by such discourse. The study sought to
address the following objectives: to explain the
metaphors used to refer to men and women in
Dholuo Benga music and to illustrate the cognitive
processes in the creation of metaphors in Dholuo
Benga music. The study adopted a Cognitive
Linguistic approach in analyzing these metaphors.
The study employed data in the form of words and
expressions downloaded from You tube. A sample of
ten Benga songs was selected using purposive
sampling and they were subjected to analysis based
on the tenets of Conceptual Integration Theory. The
findings of the study indicate that depiction of both
men and women in Benga music is largely done
through the use of figurative language and the Luo
society prejudices women while it dignifies men.
