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An analysis of deliberate metaphor framing of Ghana’s E-levy on social media platforms

ORCiD logo with link | University of Media Art and Communication
ORCiD logo with link | University of Education, Winneba
Published online: 12 March 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.24056.daw
Abstract
To express displeasure with the introduction of the electronic transaction tax (E-levy), Ghanaians use humorous and unorthodox metaphors to describe its implementation. This paper examines how Ghanaians employ deliberate metaphors as source domains to communicate the adverse effects of the E-levy policy on their lives. The study focuses on the conceptualisation of the E-levy on Ghanaian social media platforms and explores what these deliberate conceptual representations reveal about the sociocultural contexts in which they are used. Findings show that the metaphoric structures surrounding the E-levy indicate Ghanaians’ resistance to the policy. These conceptualisations demonstrate how Ghanaians oppose the introduction of the E-levy. The primary conceptual domains used to describe the E-levy are drug, theft, religion, murder, sports, and threatening creature.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The background
  • 3.Deliberate Metaphor Theory
  • 4.Data and Method
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Conceptual domains
      • 5.1.1Deliberate metaphors on E-levy
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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