A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis Of Metaphors Of Charismatic Christian Fellowships In Machakos County, Kenya
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Date
2025-05
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Metaphors are common linguistic devices used by charismatic preachers in Machakos County to communicate to their congregations. The use of metaphors may, however, lead to difficulties in comprehension due to multiple interpretations that may be assigned to each of them. It is against this background that the present study identified and described metaphors used by charismatic Christian preachers in Machakos County. The objectives of the study were: to identify and categorize metaphors embedded in Christian discourse as used by charismatic preachers in fellowships in Machakos County; to describe the linguistic form of metaphors of Christian discourse used by charismatic preachers; to explain the conceptual structure of metaphors used in Christian discourse by charismatic preachers; and, to give an account of the communicative value of metaphors used in Christian discourse by charismatic preachers. Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Discourse Metaphor Theory were integrated to comprehensively analyze the metaphors in charismatic fellowships in Machakos County. The study employed descriptive research design and the target population was the congregants of charismatic Christian fellowships. Forty eight charismatic members were purposively sampled on the basis of gender, age and educational level to give their interpretations of metaphors used in charismatic fellowships in Machakos County. Four coders used the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit to establish 29 metaphors from 31 terms collected from sermons in charismatic Christian fellowships in Machakos County. Identified metaphors were translated into English and presented in a table that categorised them into nominal, verbal, adjectival and prepositional on basis of their word classes. They were then analyzed thematically on basis of linguistic form, conceptual structure and communicative value in line with study objectives. Findings indicated that the linguistic form of metaphors in terms of word classes, syntactic and semantic structure is critical in revealing how metaphors are formed and how thought and perception regarding metaphors is shaped. Moreover, the conceptual structure of metaphors in this study was resourceful in unveiling the main thematic concerns regarding their use which include: spiritual growth and transformation, spiritual warfare and victory, divine protection and guidance and evangelism and missiĆ³n. In addition, the study established that although metaphor is a crital tool of enhancing communication in religious discourse, there are discrepancies in the interpretation of most metaphors used in charismatic Christian fellowships in Machakos County. The study concluded that metaphors are resourceful in communication and should be explained using the cognitive linguistic paradigm. The study recommends that language researchers should employ the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit in metaphor studies since it does not rely on unilateral introspection in identification of metaphors. Findings of the study will contribute to the field of Cognitive Linguistics which is relatively new and has not been subjected to extensive research. Moreover, the study will be resourceful to metaphor theorists and Kikamba scholars in conceptualizing religious metaphors.
Description
A Thesis Submitted To The School Of Law, Arts And Social Sciences In Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Award Of The Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy In English And Linguistics Of Kenyatta University.
Supervisors:
1. Mwangi Gachara
2. Khadi Gimode