The Meaning, Function, and Contextual Usage of Metaphors on Women in Russian and Yorùbá

Abstract

Metaphors are meaning-making mechanisms based on communicative and contextual constructs. Since metaphorical expressions are used to express cultural values and the belief systems of people in a linguistic community, the meaning, function and contextual usage of metaphors differ from language to language and from culture to culture. This paper probes the meaning, function, and contextual usage of metaphors on women in Russian and Yorùbá languages. The paper employs the theory of context by Bronislaw Malinowski as the analytical framework for explicating the meaning, relevance, and function of the sampled metaphors. It argues that metaphors are used to project the worldview of people in different speech communities on social issues, including their perspectives on women. It reveals that speech communities project their worldviews on women through language use. The paper concludes that metaphors in Russian and Yorùbá speech communities portray women both positively and negatively, especially in terms of their social functions and speech acts. However, metaphors on women show that there is still a positive representation of women to depict their relevance in patriarchal societies.