Metaphors of football: The case of some football commentators in Ghana

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the metaphors of football in the English commentaries of football commentators in Ghana. It was hinged on Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and the design was textual analytical method. Through the purposive sampling technique, two football commentaries from two football commentators in Ghana namely, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah and Nana Kwadwo Gyasi were selected for analysis. The analysis revealed that football is conceptualized in terms of varied source domain. Specifically, thirteen conceptual metaphors of football were identified. Out of this, seven were categorized as structural metaphors, two as orientational metaphors and four as ontological metaphors. It was also revealed that the identified metaphors were precipitated by varied influences of the commentator’s interaction with their physical environment. This study suggested further studies in metaphor in the area of football language using another language and theory. It is recommended that the conceptual metaphors of football in a Ghanaian language be investigated.