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Article published In: Metaphor and the Social World
Vol. 6:2 (2016) ► pp.326–344

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Bodily state and metaphors relating to ho, ‘body’, in Akan

 | University of Ghana
Published online: 20 October 2016
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https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.6.2.07agy
This paper addresses metaphorical extensions of ho, which means ‘body’ in Akan, a Ghanaian language. In Akan, as in many other languages, body part expressions and bodily functions have extended meanings that still relate to the basic sense of the words. Expressions derived from ho are used to talk about emotions and character traits, perhaps more extensively and pervasively than equivalent lexis in English. The data for this study are taken from interviews, questionnaires, an Akan dictionary, Akan literature, the Akan Bible and recorded materials from radio discussions. The paper supports claims in the literature that there is a strong relationship between people’s conceptual, environmental, and cultural experiences and their linguistic systems.
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2023. Idioms, proverbs and body part expressions onYiedie“wellbeing” in Akan. Pragmatics and Society 14:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Mensah, Eyo O. & Vivian Afi Dzokoto
2023. Melting intestines, red hearts, and scattering eyes: exploring embodiment in the Efik feeling lexica. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 44:1 ► pp. 49 ff. DOI logo
Dzokoto, Vivian Afi
2020. Adwenhoasem: an Akan theory of mind. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 26:S1 ► pp. 77 ff. DOI logo

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