METAPHORIC ANALYSIS OF MŨRĨMI WA KAHALF’S POP SONG: “ĨNO NĨ MOMO”

Abstract

Gĩkũyũ vernacular singer, the late Sammy Mũrĩmi Nderi, better known by his stage name Mũrĩmi wa Kahalf, cut a niche for himself for his hilarious and metaphorical songs. In particular, the song: “Ĩno nĩ momo” has been a massive hit with revelers and deejays in Kenya since being released in 2012 thanks to its use of metaphors and witticism. Basically, the song is about a man who goes to the city and falls in love with a randy, huge woman “momo” and the challenges that come along with such a relationship. Using four annotators including the researcher, this paper set forth to identify the metaphors in the song through the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU), an extended version of Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP). In addition, the study explains the meaning of the metaphors using the Cognitive Linguistics Framework. Content analysis which is within the qualitative research paradigm, also guided the analysis of the song. The study notes that the MIPVU is an effective method of identifying metaphors in songs. The study concludes that metaphor provides a tool for reasoning about one thing in terms of the other. Further, it is recommended that language researchers should employ the MIPVU in the analysis of songs since it does not rely on unilateral introspection in the identification of metaphors.