Contextual Considerations in the Use of Metaphor in Nigerian Pentecostal Christian Discourse

Since the seminal publication of Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) Metaphors We Live By, there has been a sustained stream of scholarly works on the ubiquitous use and interpretation of metaphors in varying domains of human experience. A review of some of these works shows that the use of metaphors by the Pentecostal Christian clergy has not been critically examined. The preponderance of metaphors in this domain makes this gap fundamental as it limits adequate understanding of the discourse function of metaphors in this domain. The purpose of this study was to explore the centrality of context in the use and interpretation of metaphors in Nigerian Pentecostal Christian Discourse. Fifteen recorded sermons of three Nigerian Pentecostal Preachers-Daniel Olukoya, David Oyedepo, and Chris Oyakhilome-were transcribed and the metaphorical aspects of the data determined using the Metaphor Identification Procedure Through Vehicle Terms (MIV) developed by Cameron and Maslen. The derived metaphors were critically analysed using insights from Cameron’s Discourse Dynamics Approach to metaphor analysis and Charteris-Black’s Critical Metaphor Analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the metaphoricity of an utterance and the discourse function of metaphors in Nigerian Pentecostal Christian Discourse hinge on a holistic consideration of the contextual features of Pentecostal Christian Discourse.