Akan and Hebrew Proverbs on Poverty: Metaphoric Conceptualisation

Abstract

This paper examines the metaphorical structure of poverty in Akan (a West African language) and Hebrew (a Semitic language) within the framework of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The study explores how poverty is expressed in the Biblical Book of Proverbs and compares the conceptualization of poverty by the Akan people in their proverbs to those in Hebrew. The aim is to establish whether the two languages manifest cross-linguistic or cross-conceptual similarities concerning understanding poverty. The data reveal similarities between Akan and Hebrew concerning the metaphoric conceptualization of poverty.