Euphemisms and Metaphors for Menstruation in the Old Testament and Two Ghanaian Bible Translations

Abstract

This article discusses the metaphors for menstruation in the Old Testament. It aims to explore the metaphorical conceptualizations of menstruation in the Hebrew Bible and compare them with their translations in two Ghanaian Bibles (Twi and Gã). The Conceptual Metaphor Theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980) is used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicate that in both Ghanaian and Israelite thought regarding menstruation, ideas of indisposition and separation are prominent. This leads to the identification of the metaphors, MENSTRUATION IS AN ILLNESS, MENSTRUATION IS SEPARATION, and MENSTRUATION IS A GENDER MARKER. The understanding of the metaphors of menstruation gleaned from the euphemisms used for menstruation in both cultures seems to give greater comprehension to the Ghanaian reader of the texts on menstruation in the Old Testament.

Keywords

• menstruation
• old testament
• twi language
• gã language
• euphemism
• conceptual metaphor theory