African proverbs and patriarchal discourse: A cross-cultural critical discourse analysis (CDA) of The normalisation of gendered violence

Abstract

Proverbs are concise, conventionalised expressions through which societies transmit inherited knowledge, moral values, and normative expectations across generations. They function not merely as linguistic artefacts but as culturally authoritative forms of social judgement. As Jon R. Stone observes, proverbs constitute “bits of ancient wisdom” grounded in collective experience (The Routledge Book of World Proverbs xiii). In this sense, proverbial discourse participates in the production and maintenance of ideology, shaping perceptions of legitimacy, authority, and social order. This study undertakes a cross-cultural linguistic analysis of 40 African and non-African proverbs purposively drawn from the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Amharic, Bukusu, and Frafra traditions, as well as from Euro-American and Asian contexts. The proverbs were extracted from published collections and peer-reviewed articles. The study adopts a qualitative, comparative research design grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA). Following Norman Fairclough’s account of discourse as a site of social power and ideological reproduction (Critical Discourse Analysis 71 – 75) and the discourse-historical orientation outlined by Ruth Wodak and Michael Meyer (3 – 5, 15), the study examines how language encodes and sustains relations of dominance. With regard to FCDA, the study foregrounds the discursive construction of gender and the reproduction of patriarchal power (Lazar 1 – 3, 11 – 14). The analysis identifies recurrent discursive patterns that position women within hierarchies of discipline, control, and subordination. Particular attention is paid to modality, transitivity, metaphor, and presupposition as linguistic mechanisms through which violence is framed as corrective, inevitable, or socially sanctioned. The findings indicate that certain proverbial formulations contribute to the discursive normalisation of male domination and the moral legitimation of coercion. By embedding hierarchical gender relations within culturally authoritative expressions, such proverbs may subtly shape social attitudes and behavioural expectations, thereby reinforcing broader structures associated with gender-based violence.