Irony As A Literary Stylistic Device In Amos’s Choice Of Metaphors: Reading From The Perspective Of The Tigrigna Proto-Semitic Language -- By: Berhane K. Melles

Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 28:1 (Sep 2019)
Article: Irony As A Literary Stylistic Device In Amos’s Choice Of Metaphors: Reading From The Perspective Of The Tigrigna Proto-Semitic Language
Author: Berhane K. Melles


Irony As A Literary Stylistic Device In Amos’s Choice Of Metaphors: Reading From The Perspective Of The Tigrigna Proto-Semitic Language

Berhane K. Melles

and

Bill Domeris1

Abstract

This article investigates irony as a literary stylistic device in the book and analyses the effect of irony on the likely complex metaphor texts read in the perspective of the Tigrigna Proto-Semitic language (see Appendix A). In the introduction, the state of scholarship on literary and rhetorical devices and theories of irony and metaphor have been reviewed. In the two following sections, irony is distinguished as a literary stylistic device in the book; and engaging the language and culture of Eritrea, selected ironic metaphors (4:1–3; 5:1–3; 5:18–20; 7:7–8; 8:1–3) are analysed and interpreted for the possible meanings in the integrated Tigrigna language and culture (TGN) versions. In Eritrea, in Tigrigna ethnic, figures of speech—irony and metaphor are part of their culture and we have chosen to read Amos through Eritrean eyes.

This article: https://www.sats.edu.za/melles-domeris-irony-as-a-literary-stylistic-device

Keywords

Ironic metaphors; Irony; Figurative languages; Linguistics approach; Prophets’ speech; Pro-Semitic languages

About The Authors2

Berhane K Melles

PhD student

Bill Domeris

PhD , University of Durham, Bill is a Biblical scholar and a Senior Academic at the South African Theological Seminary. He is also a research associate at the University of Pretoria and the University of the Free State.

1. Introduction

The language of Amos is dominated by figures of speech. Good’s (1980) systematic focus on irony in the OT has caused many biblical scholars to work on irony in biblical literature. Recently, a few studies have been done on irony as a figure of speech in the book of Amos.

Irony, ቅኔ (qinie), in the Amharic language is classified into two ሰም (sem) and ወርቅ (werq) where ሰም (sem) reads the sentence literarily and (werq, meaning ‘gold’) compares the meaning of the sentence to mining for gold. Conceptually, irony, ቅኔ (qinie), is understood in Tigr...

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