{"title":"Metaphor Frequency and Distribution in Three Sesotho Newspapers’ Coverage of HIV and AIDS","authors":"Ntṡoeu Seepheephe","doi":"10.1080/10228195.2021.1963812","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study examines the frequency and distribution of linguistic metaphors in selected Sesotho newspapers (Lentsoe, Leselinyana and Moeletsi) in their coverage of HIV and AIDS. The results reveal that 83.9 metaphors occur per 1 000 words, and that the majority of these metaphors are conventional. The findings show that linguistic metaphors are evenly distributed between the three newspapers analysed. There are also similarities between the newspapers regarding the most frequently used metaphorical expressions. Metaphors created by using the locative case marker -ng and the metaphorical expression bontsha (show) and its inflected forms are the linguistic metaphors used most frequently by the newspapers. The findings show that there is a difference in the frequency of metaphors during the period 1986–1995 and later periods, with fewer linguistic metaphors used in 1996–2010. However, the metaphors created using the locative case marker -ng and bontsha (show) and its inflected forms remain the most frequent linguistic metaphors in each period.","PeriodicalId":43882,"journal":{"name":"Language Matters","volume":"52 1","pages":"94 - 113"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5000,"publicationDate":"2021-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Language Matters","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2021.1963812","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Abstract This study examines the frequency and distribution of linguistic metaphors in selected Sesotho newspapers (Lentsoe, Leselinyana and Moeletsi) in their coverage of HIV and AIDS. The results reveal that 83.9 metaphors occur per 1 000 words, and that the majority of these metaphors are conventional. The findings show that linguistic metaphors are evenly distributed between the three newspapers analysed. There are also similarities between the newspapers regarding the most frequently used metaphorical expressions. Metaphors created by using the locative case marker -ng and the metaphorical expression bontsha (show) and its inflected forms are the linguistic metaphors used most frequently by the newspapers. The findings show that there is a difference in the frequency of metaphors during the period 1986–1995 and later periods, with fewer linguistic metaphors used in 1996–2010. However, the metaphors created using the locative case marker -ng and bontsha (show) and its inflected forms remain the most frequent linguistic metaphors in each period.
期刊介绍:
The purpose of Language Matters is to provide a journal of international standing with a unique African flavour focusing on multilingualism in Africa. Although the journal contributes to the language debate on all African languages, sub-Saharan Africa and issues related to multilingualism in the southern African context are the journal’s specific domains. The journal seeks to promote the dissemination of ideas, points of view, teaching strategies and research on different aspects of African languages, providing a forum for discussion on the whole spectrum of language usage and debate in Africa. The journal endorses a multidisciplinary approach to the study of language and welcomes contributions not only from sociolinguists, psycholinguists and the like, but also from educationalists, language practitioners, computer analysts, engineers or scholars with a genuine interest in and contribution to the study of language. All contributions are critically reviewed by at least two referees. Although the general focus remains on multilingualism and related issues, one of the three issues of Language Matters published each year is a special thematic edition on Language Politics in Africa. These special issues embrace a wide spectrum of language matters of current relevance in Southern Africa.