Abstract
Although many ideologies promoting unequal power relations have long subordinated women in various social systems across the globe, language has been instrumental in contesting this social injustice. The Nigerian socio-cultural landscape, for example, is rich in linguistic expressions that reflect and promote women's inclusion and empowerment. However, these expressions are usually metaphorically based, making them less visible tools for contesting unequal gender power relations. These tools vis-à-vis their potency in challenging beliefs that subjugate women need to be unravelled. Therefore, drawing on Lazar's Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) framework, this study analyses the metaphor scenarios embedded in feminine inclusive expressions in a purposively selected corpus of Nigerian English expressions, ethnographic-based idiomatic expressions and media chats within the Nigerian socio-cultural context to shed light on how language reflects and challenges the entrenched gender dynamics through the metaphor scenarios. The adoption of the multifaceted approach for data collection enables the study to explore the linguistic, cultural, historical and socio-political dimensions embedded in the metaphor-based expressions, thereby contributing to a deeper appreciation of the role of language in challenging traditional gender hierarchies/dynamics and promoting feminine inclusion in the Nigerian socio-cultural space. The study finds that metaphors are ideological tools that can be employed to challenge gender hierarchies in the Nigerian socio-cultural contexts as demonstrated in metaphors such as to counter traditional perceptions of women's outlook and conditional roles. It reveals that metaphors are instrumental in promoting feminine inclusion in authority and decision-making at family and community levels. Metaphorical expressions contribute to cultural narratives that redefine femininity as an embodiment of strength and wisdom. It establishes that language, through metaphor, plays a critical role in challenging gender dynamics and promoting feminine empowerment within the Nigerian socio-cultural context. The study concludes that the understanding of metaphorical language and its exploitation is a latent tool that, if used properly, can empower women to maximally benefit from gender equality and inclusive realities in the Nigerian socio-cultural landscape
Keywords: Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, Metaphor Scenarios, Feminine Inclusive Expressions, Nigerian Socio-Cultural Context, Language and Empowerment
DOI: 10.36349/zamijoh.2025.v03i02.013
author/Kugbayi L.I.
journal/Zamfara IJOH Vol. 3, Issue 2
