Anthropological Symbolic Significance of the Number ‘Three’: A Case of Selected Languages and Cultures in Zambia

Abstract

This paper problematizes the symbolic significance of the number ‘three’ in Zambian culture and society. The paper aims to highlight the pragmatic implicature of the number ‘three’ conveyed by different cultures and languages in Zambia. The study used a qualitative approach. Data were collected through elicitation by conducting unstructured interviews as well as document analysis. Primary data were collected from 33 respondents who were selected purposively to represent six cultures from five provinces of Zambia. Primary data were justified by secondary sources of information. Phenomenology theoretical locale was chosen to underpin the study. The study reveals that there is a significant value in numerology such as the arithmetic number ‘three’. The number ‘three’ is highly interpreted in both Biblical and cultural contexts and can be used to preserve indigenous knowledge for future generations. Anthropologically, the number ‘three’ is used to teach, admonish, counsel, reconcile, and unify people such as families, churches, and marriages. It can be concluded that the anthropological symbolic significance of the number ‘three’ bears some commonalities in the Zambian culture and the sample languages, and has minor pragmatic variations.