Delineating The Image Of Woman Through Akan And Dàgàrà Proverbial Expressions

Abstract

African Expressive Culture is replete with proverbial expressions which address many subjects as part of cultural identity. Proverbs contain appropriate linguistic features which are suitable ingredients for spicing language. This study takes a critical look at how women are depicted through certain proverbial expressions in the Akan and Dàgàrà traditional societies with emphasis on her personality and character. The main objective of the study is to examine the image of the woman and the kind of personality associated with her in a typically patriarchal cultural environment. Data was gathered from two different cultural communities.
Dàgàrà proverbs were gathered between 2004 and 2019 through fieldwork whilst Akan proverbs were gathered through library and internet search. Proverbial expressions which focus on women were selected and analysed using the qualitative approach. The Lakoff-Turner Theory on the Proverb as The Lakoff-Turner Theory on the Proverb as a species of metaphor and Honeck’s affirmation on the cultural context of proverbs undergird this study. Results indicate that the woman is an admirable but vulnerable figure. Her personality reflects that she is a builder and a destroyer in society. This study generates significant debate on how the woman of yesteryear was depicted in the respective societies. It also reveals a pattern of misconceptions about her in the cultural context in which she was depicted.