Foodsemic metaphors of love in Gĩkũyũ: Insights from cognitive semantics

Abstract

Using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this study discusses the transfer of semantic aspects of foodsemic metaphors upon the abstraction of love. An interview schedule was administered to 48 respondents of different gender by the researchers assisted by two research assistants. The data collected were subjected to the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU). 12 foodsemic metaphors which play an indispensable role in the understanding of love in Gĩkũyũ were identified. In addition, the study noted that gender is a dominant variable that provides people with lens through which they view love in Gĩkũyũ. This study concludes that metaphor is an integral component of the way people conceptualize and embody love in Gĩkũyũ. Further, foodsemic metaphors provide a way of understanding the nexus between gender and love in Gĩkũyũ.