Author: Zaynab B. Raji-Ellams
Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University Kano
Date: 01/11/2025
This study examines how Yoruba proverbs are interpreted across languages using a multidisciplinary approach that combines Post-Relevance Pragmatics, Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), and computational analysis aided by artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing from a carefully selected collection of 150 proverbs that are rich in metaphors and have been transliterated and translated into English, the study investigates how meaning is shaped by metaphor, how context influences interpretation, and how well AI can recognise and analyse figurative language in indigenous languages with limited resources. Using CMT for metaphor analysis highlighted dominant conceptual domains that reflect embodied, experiential knowledge rooted in the Yoruba worldview, including Life is a Journey, Wisdom is Light, and Suffering is a Burden. Post-Relevance Pragmatics was used to demonstrate how proverbs work practically in a variety of situations, delivering moral guidance, subliminal critique, camaraderie, and emotional complexity. Then, thematic clustering and metaphor detection were evaluated using AI-based Natural Language Processing tools. According to a chi-square analysis that compared AI output with human expert categorization, AI performed well with surface level structures, but it struggled with culturally bound, idiomatic, or elliptical expressions showing statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The findings indicate that Yoruba proverbs use structured and context sensitive metaphors, necessitating a high level of cultural competency for precise cross-linguistic interpretation. AI can assist with extensive analysis, but it cannot replace human judgement when creating culturally embedded meaning. The study concludes by advocating for hybrid approaches, culturally annotated corpora, and cooperation between linguists and AI developers in order to improve the representation and analysis of African languages in translation and digital research.
Keywords: Yoruba proverbs, metaphor, conceptual metaphor theory, pragmatics, artificial intelligence, NLP, African linguistics, cultural inference.
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