The Translation of Metaphors of Emotions of Anger from EkeGusii to English Using the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

The Translation of Metaphors of Emotions of Anger from EkeGusii to English Using the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Gillphine Chebunga Onkware1, Jared Bravin Menecha2, Margaret Kerubo Ogeto3
1Africa International University
2Daystar University
3Quantic School of Business and Technology, Washington DC

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2023.10414

Received: 16 March 2023; Revised: 16 April 2023; Accepted: 20 April 2023; Published: 25 May 2023

Abstract: The aim of this paper was to discuss common words used in reference to anger in Ekegusii, a Bantu speaking community in Kisii and Nyamira counties in Kenya. Using the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Kövecses 2020), linguistic expressions of anger that were recorded in a pilot study have been analyzed for metaphorical content, thereafter a translation was made from Ekegusii to English to check for the translation challenges. The findings reveal that Ekegusii displays differences in the conceptualization of anger as compared to English. One notable difference is realized about where anger comes from in Ekegusii. Anger as an emotion is conceptualized as coming from an external source and therefore it ‘catches’ persons. In the same regard, a person ‘hears’ anger thereby showing that anger is an external emotion that is personified.

Keywords: Emotion, Anger, Conceptual Metaphors, Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory

I. Introduction

Ekegusii, a Bantu language is syntactically a Subject-verb-object (SVO). Gusii people are stereotyped as “easily infuriated” people. Psychologists (Spielberger, Jacobs, Russell, & Crane, 1983) argue that there are two main types of anger that an individual is likely to possess. The first one is the state anger where an individual can be made angry by the environmental circumstances thereby producing a physiological reactivity that tend to increase with the intensity of subjective feelings of rage (Spielberger, Jacobs, Russell and Crane2013). The second one is the trait anger which refers to the predisposed anger that an individual is born with. According to Spielberger et al (2013), an individual with trait anger is likely to experience state anger more often. The Gusii community seem susceptible to both kinds of anger considering how they behave in contexts that ‘anger’ them. Due to the fact that Gusii people are susceptible to anger, it is possible that this has an important direction in the conceptualization of anger by Gusii speakers or the non-speakers who may look at the Kisiis’ differently.

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