Women writers' use of metaphor as gender rhetoric in discourse on HIV/AIDS and sex-related issues: The case of "Totanga patsva" (We start afresh) by Zimbabwe Women Writers.

Abstract

This article analyses the metaphors that women writers use to communicate various messages about HIV/AIDS and sex. We argue that the writers use metaphors in their discourse mainly because the Shona culture places restrictions on words and expressions which directly refer to HIV/AIDS and sex-related issues. Such direct words and expressions are considered taboo, hence the communicators have to use metaphors which make the tabooed words and expressions mentionable indirectly. This study focuses on metaphors since other forms of figures such as similes and euphemisms are used sparingly in the anthology under examination. The metaphors that are discussed are found in seventeen stories out of twenty-five stories that make up the anthology. The remaining stories do not overtly use metaphors. It is demonstrated that metaphors in the stories that are analysed enhance communication since they are contextually used. The study demonstrates the relationship between language and culture.