A Cognitive Semantic Analysis of Logical and Causal Connections as a Means of Hausa Link Schema

Cite this article as: Almajir, T. S., & Rabi’u, B. M. (2025). A cognitive semantic analysis of logical and causal connections as a means of Hausa link schema. Sokoto Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (SOJOLICS), 1(2), 167–174. https://doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2025.v01i02.019

A COGNITIVE SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF LOGICAL AND CAUSAL CONNECTIONS AS A MEANS OF HAUSA LINK SCHEMA

By

Tijjani Shehu Almajir, PhD

almajir02@yahoo.com

Department of Linguistics and Translation Studies,

Bayero University, Kano.

&

Binta Muhammad Rabi’u

bintamuhammadrabiu@gmail.com

Department of Linguistics and Translation Studies,

Bayero University, Kano.

Abstract

This paper examines the logical connection as a fundamental link schema in the Hausa cognitive and linguistic system. Grounded in the framework of Cognitive Semantics, particularly Image Schema Theory (1987) foundedand develop by Lakoff and Johnson, the study explores how Hausa speakers conceptualize logical andcausal relations such as cause–effect, condition–consequence, and means–end through culturally grounded linguistic expressions, idioms, and proverbs. Data for the study were drawn from both natural speech and documented sources, with analysis focusing on semantic motivation, conceptual mapping, and cognitive grounding. The findings reveal that logical connection schemas in Hausa are not merely linguistic structures but cognitive templates that reflect Hausa reasoning patterns and worldviews. Expressions such as duk wanda ya tona rami, shi zai faɗa cikinsa (“whoever digs a pit shall fall into it”) and in ka zuba ruwa, sai ka sha ruwan (“if you pour water, you will drink the water”) exemplify the embodied conceptualization of logical consequence. The paper concludes that Hausa logic is motivated, drawing heavily from physical, social, and moral realities. It further argues that studying link schemas provides insight into the interface between thought and expression in Hausa, thereby enriching the global understanding of cognitive semantics.

Keywords: Hausa, link schema, logical connection, cognitive semantics, image schema, conceptual metaphor

1. Introduction

Human cognition is organized around recurring patterns of experience that shape how people perceive, reason, and express meanings. In language, these recurring experiential patterns are reflected in what cognitive linguists call image schemas dynamic mental structures derived from bodily experience (Johnson, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 2003). Among these schemas, the link schema represents connection, relation, and coherence between entities, events, or propositions. In Hausa, one of the major languages of Africa spoken by more than fifty million people across West Africa, logical connection plays a crucial role in structuring reasoning, argumentation, and moral judgment. The way Hausa speakers connect ideas through causal expressions, conditional statements, and proverbial reasoning offers a window into their cognitive patterns of logic and inference. This paper, therefore, investigates the logical connection as a Hausa link schema using the theoretical lens of Cognitive Semantics. The main objectives are to identify and analyze Hausa linguistic expressions that embody logical relations, describe the conceptual mappings underlying these expressions and interpret their cognitive and cultural significance within the Hausa world view.

The study argues that logical connections in Hausa language are cognitively motivated by image schemas such as CAUSE–EFFECT, MEANS–END, and CONDITION–CONSEQUENCE, which arise from everyday physical and social experiences. By exploring these schemas, the paper aims to contribute to a broader understanding of how cognition, culture, and language interrelate in meaning construction. The significance of this study lies in its attempt to bridge theoretical and cultural perspectives. While cognitive semantics has extensively analyzed Western conceptual systems, African languages such as Hausa remain underrepresented in schema-based research. This study demonstrates that Hausa, like other natural languages, embodies universal cognitive mechanisms, yet localizes them through culturally distinct imagery and reasoning patterns. Consequently, the analysis provides both empirical and theoretical contributions: empirically, by documenting Hausa logical schemas, and theoretically, by situating them within a cognitive semantic framework that foregrounds experiential motivation.

2. Methodology

The study adopts a qualitative descriptive research design grounded in cognitive semantic analysis. This design was chosen because it allows for an in-depth exploration of how Hausa speakers conceptualize logical relations through language and experience. Since the study focuses on meaning, conceptual mapping, and schema interpretation, the qualitative approach enables the researcher to use data in its natural cultural and linguistic context rather than in formal logical abstraction. The goal is not to measure frequency but to interpret how Hausa linguistic expressions instantiate logical connection schemas. Data for this study were derived from three primary sources, namely: Documented sources, i.e Hausa proverbs, idiomatic expressions, oral literature etc, recorded conversational data in Hausa-speaking communities in Kano and native speaker intuition. The data analysis followed the procedures of Cognitive Semantic Analysis as outlined by Evans and Green (2006) and Croft and Cruse (2004), consisting of three main stages: Semantic identification, conceptual mapping and cognitive interpretation. Each expression is presented first in Hausa, followed by its English translation, and then a unified analytical paragraph linking linguistic form, semantic meaning, and cognitive structure. This approach follows Johnson’s (1987) model of embodied meaning and Lakoff and Johnson’s (2003) conceptual metaphor framework.

3. Theoretical Framework

Johnson’s (1987) Image Schema Theory (IST) adopted by this research. It is a branch of cognitive science concern with how the brain structures knowledge. A schema is an organized unit of knowledge for a subject or event. It is based on past experience and is accessed to guide current understanding or action. Furthermore, this is an attempt to explain the conceptual structure of bodily experience from physical or concrete images to abstract propositional structures. Johnson (1987) proposes that embodied experiences give rise to image schema within the conceptual systems. The theory points out that the combination of our perceptual capacities and the circumstances of our perceptual environment give rise to a massive, interwoven complex of concrete and abstract linkages. Another assumption of the theory is that schemas are dynamic- they develop based on new formation and experiences and thereby support the notion of plasticity in development. Schemas (or schemata) are unit of understanding that can be hierarchically categorized as well as webbed into complex relationships with one another. The general assumption behind Cognitive Linguistics is that language reflects patterns of thought. Language offers s window into cognitive function, providing insights into the nature, structure and organization of thought and ideas, across different aspect of language and what they are. Therefore, theories of image schemas and metaphorical projections allow us to understand more about meanings and rationales by connecting them with our bodily experience.

4. Literature Review

Evans & Green, (2006), Croft & Cruse, (2004). assumed that language is an integral part of human cognition, and that linguistic expressions reflect mental representations shaped by bodily experience. As Lakoff (1987) and Langacker (1987) emphasized, meaning arises from how individuals construe the world through conceptual structures grounded in perception, movement, and social interaction. This perspective stands in contrast to formalist views of semantics, which treat meaning as truth-conditional or compositional in isolation from human experience. Johnson (1987) establishes that cognitive semantic theory holds that concepts are structured by image schemas recurring patterns of embodied experience that organize thought and perception. These schemas function as pre-conceptual structures that shape abstract reasoning. Johnson (1987), Lakoff (1987) and Mandler (2004), proposes that basic bodily interactions provide the foundation for abstract reasoning and language. Image schemas are dynamic, embodied templates derived from sensorimotor experiences. For instance, repeated experiences of physically linking two objects by a rope or chain create a LINK schema, a cognitive pattern representing connection, attachment, and relational dependency. Almajir (2014) reveals that centrality of the body in human cognition, meaning-making and experience is broadly acknowledged. The study reveals that, the idea has provoked a large quantity of research in this general area in a wide range of scientific domains. The research also points out that human body carries a wide range of ever-changing meanings and symbols because there appears to be a considerable number of figurative expressions for linguistic interaction which contain lexical items denoting parts of the body. Almajir (2010) examines the notion of metaphor as one of the fundamental organizing principles of thought that provides a conceptual basis between the concept that is express by the metaphorical term and the concept(s) that we normally and intuitively apply to the subject. The study explores how metaphorical expressions guide not only our reasoning, but also our emotions, behavior and actions. The study also explains that metaphors can be formed through instances such as semantic class, salient cognitive features, resonance, collocations, register for frequency, etc. Ibrahim (2024) presents “A Cognitive Semantic Study of Hausa XYZ Metaphors” the study provides an alternative interpretation of selected Hausa XYZ metaphors that focuses on their emergent meaning. The research provides that an XYZ metaphor is a conceptual metaphor that asks us to infer additional element called the W for its successful interpretation. The main function of this inferred element is to provide a conceptual relationship with the Y element. By this, we are to use the Y and W relationship in the conceptualization of the X and Z relationship. Zhou, Lahlou and Yasir (2023) reveal that most research on image schema examined the meaning configuration of words connotation.  The study finds out that, previous studies of adjectives are meaningful in cognitive linguistics because they provide insight into how those adjectives are involved with psychological movement.

According to Oakley (2007), image schemas serve as “bridges” between perception and cognition. They enable humans to map experiential structure onto conceptual domains, including logic and reasoning. Talmy (2000) and Kövecses (2010). Reveal that causal and conditional relations have received extensive attention in cognitive linguistics because they reveal how humans conceptualize the structure of reasoning Researchers have shown that causal expressions are motivated by embodied experiences of force and movement, leading to schemas such as FORCE, PATH, and LINK. Talmy (2000) argued that causation is conceptualized through the “force dynamics” model, where agents exert force that leads to changes in other entities. Similarly, Sweetser (1990) demonstrated that causal logic often extends from the physical domain (pushing, pulling) to psychological and social reasoning.

 Ibarretxe-Antuñano (2008) and Nartey (2013) provide that in African linguistic studies, cognitive approaches to causation and logic are emerging but remain limited. emphasize that culturally grounded metaphors shape reasoning differently across languages. Within the Hausa context, cognitive work has primarily focused on metaphor (Abubakar, 2019; Yusuf, 2021) and spatial schemas (Rufa’i, 2020), leaving logical link schemas relatively underexplored. This gap motivates the present study, which aims to demonstrate how Hausa encodes logical relations through experiential and cultural imagery. Galadanci (2016) analyzed conceptual metaphors in Hausa proverbs, showing that abstract moral values are understood through embodied imagery. Similarly, Adamu (2018) discussed the role of metaphor in Hausa moral discourse, linking figurative reasoning with social cognition. These studies highlight the potential of cognitive semantics in uncovering the conceptual underpinnings of Hausa linguistic behavior.

5. Data Presentation and Analysis of Logical and Causal Connections as a Means of Hausa Link Schema.

This section presents and analyzes data on logical and causal connections as vital manifestations of the Hausa Link Schema. The analysis draws the examples from authentic Hausa expressions, proverbs, and everyday discourse that reflect how reasoning and cause- effect relations are conceptually linked. Each instance demonstrates how Hausa speakers structure thought and meaning through mental associations of connection and consequence. The interpretation follows the cognitive semantic framework, revealing how these schemas organize experience and linguistic expression. Both logical and causal links are examined to show their centrality in Hausa conceptualization.  

5.1 Logical Connection as a Means of Hausa Link Schema

1.  Án sáká masá hànnûu

Gloss: Did-put 3pm.sg- hand 

Literal (Semantic) Meaning: “A hand was inserted for him”

Three entities were logically connected (sáká+ màsá+ hànnûu )

Semantically, this is a passive grammatical construction in Hausa where the agent is unspecified ‘án sáká’ “it was inserted”, the object is ‘hànnú’ “hand”, and the beneficiary is ‘másá’ (“for him”). The verb ‘sáká’ “insert/put” suggests a physical act of placing an object (in this case, a hand) into or onto something. The sentence follows the structure which highlights the action and its effect over who performs it. In its surface meaning, it seems to describe a bodily gesture or intervention involving the hand, but it remains ambiguous unless grounded in social context.

Cognitively, the expression operates on multiple metaphorical mappings, each drawing from embodied experience. First, the hand functions as a symbol of action, presence, or authority. In one interpretation, “án sáká másá hànnúu” can mean someone has intervened in his matter - i.e., extended help or support. This taps into the link image schema, where help conceptualized as being “plugged into” a situation by inserting a limb. Second, it may mean someone interfered negatively in his affairs - i.e., tampered or manipulated - especially in legal, political, or social conflicts. Here, the inserted hand becomes a metaphor for intervention or disruption. Third, it can suggest endorsement (e.g., signing or approving on someone’s behalf), where the hand represents official validation or authority. In each reading, the hand (physical, animate) used to conceptualize an abstract social or emotional event (support, interference, or approval). The passive voice reinforces the idea of external agency acting upon the beneficiary, making the link not just physical but socially distributed. Thus, the expression exemplifies how Hausa richly encodes multiple abstract experiences through one bodily metaphor.

2. Yáa cíkàa másà àlкàawáaríi

Gloss: 3pm.sg-fill 3pm.sg-promise  

Literal (Semantic) Meaning: “He fulfilled the promise for him.”

Four entities were connected logically (Yáa +cikà + masá+ àlкàawáaríi)

Semantically, the sentence follows the structure that ‘Yá’ (he) is the subject, ‘cíkà’ (fulfilled or completed) is the verb, ‘àlкàwarí’ (promise) is the object, and ‘másá’ (for him) is the beneficiary. The verb ‘cíkà’ literally means “to fill” or “complete,” and it implies bringing something to its full or intended state. Here, it is applied to an abstract noun ‘àlкàwári’, giving it a quasi-physical status - as if a promise is a container or object that can be filled or completed. This aligns with the containment and completion schemas where the promise is conceptualized as a structure that is made whole. Semantically, it expresses the physical completion of an action or obligation.

Cognitively, the expression maps a non-physical, abstract commitment (a promise) onto a physical action (filling or completing). This reveals a link image schema, where two entities - the promisor and the beneficiary - are conceptually connected through the act of fulfilling an obligation. The promise (àlкàwàrí) itself is an abstract construct but metaphorically treated as a bounded entity with a beginning and end. To “fill it” means to actualize what was expected or agreed upon, thereby closing the conceptual loop between intent and fulfillment. The person who receives the promise ‘másá’ thus linked to the one who fulfills it ‘yá’, not through physical means, but through shared intentionality and moral responsibility. This demonstrates how Hausa, like many languages, uses physical completion as a metaphor for honoring commitment, reinforcing social trust and accountability through embodied conceptualization.

3. Yáa dôoràa màsá nâùyí

Gloss: 3pm.sg-drop-3pm.sg-burden

Literal (Semantic) Meaning: “He placed a weight on him.”

Four entities logically connected (Yá +dôorà +masá+ nâuyí)

Semantically, this sentence structured, as ‘yá’ (he) is the subject, ‘ɗôorà’ (placed/lifted and set) is the verb, ‘nâuyí’ (weight or burden) is the object, and ‘másá’ (for/on him) is the beneficiary. The verb ‘ɗôorà’ typically involves placing an object physically on top of another, often on the head or shoulder in Hausa bodily practices. ‘Nâuyi’, as a physical object, is commonly associated with load, strain, or heaviness. This construction aligns with the support and contact schemas, indicating pressure or imposition from one entity onto another. Semantically, it portrays a direct physical act of assigning or imposing a heavy object onto a person’s body

Cognitively, the expression metaphorically represents assigning responsibility, duty, or a difficult task to someone. It employs the link Image schema, where ‘nâuyí’ (a heavy load) conceptually mapped onto psychological or social obligations, such as expectations, blame, or leadership duties. The placing of this “weight” forms a conceptual connection between the doer and the bearer, establishing a causal link: one is responsible for creating the burden, while the other must carry it. The abstract burden (like emotional stress, societal duty, or obligation) is imagined as a tangible, physical weight that affects the person mentally or socially. This metaphor resonates with embodied experience - humans feel weight as strain - and thus, using ‘nâuyi’ allows Hausa speakers to communicate the emotional gravity or seriousness of a responsibility. In this way, the expression shows how physicality is used to cognitively frame abstract, interpersonal experience

4. Dàamûuwàa tàa dâukée dàagàa zûucíyáatàa

Gloss: worry- Inanimate- remove from heart-POSS 

Literal (semantic) meaning "Worry lifted from my heart"

Three entities have been connected logically (Dàamûuwàa +dâukée+ zûucíyáatàa)

This expression uses a detachment schema where the heart is conceptualized as removing a burden of worries. The emotional burden seen as a physical object lifted away, where "worry" and "burden" are fused, and the means of removal accommodated. Semantic structure: Mental state as physical action; Cognitive rule: EMOTIONAL RELIEF IS PHYSICAL DETACHMENT.

This expression involves a deeply embodied link image schema of removal or detachment, where the heart is metaphorically assigned the role of an agent that physically lifts or removes an emotional burden worry. Here, the heart ‘ɗâuké’ and the worry ‘dàamûuwàa’ connected through a transfer event, with the heart acting as a carrier. The metaphor portrays relief from emotional burden as a physical separation facilitated by an internal organ, reflecting the common conceptual metaphor EMOTION IS A BURDEN and HEART IS AN AGENT. In terms of conceptual blending, the fused elements include worry and the concept of a burden being removed, whereas the accommodated element is the literal means of removal (such as hands or tools), which are suppressed to allow a coherent emotional reading. The semantic structure rule at play here transforms a mental state into a physical action, while the cognitive semantic rule follows EMOTIONAL RELIEF IS PHYSICAL DETACHMENT.

5. Yáa káfée níi dàa íidàanûu wàa

Gloss: 3pm.sg-fix me with eyes

Literal (Semantic) Meaning: “He fixed his eyes on me”

Four entities have been logically connected (Yáa+ káfée +níi + ìidàanûuwàa )

Semantically, the sentence presents an animate subject (yá – “he”) performing a physical action (káfêe – “fix, pin, hold steadily”) using a body part (ídànûwà“eyes”) toward another animate object (ní – “me”). The structure implies that the person is intensely staring, as though the gaze is a tool being used to pin or immobilize. The image it evokes is direct, forceful, and bodily, drawing on physical posture and direction.

Cognitively, this expression metaphorically represents the transfer of mental focus, psychological pressure, or emotional intensity using the link image schema. The eyes: physical, animate instruments - conceptualized as “plugged into” the receiver (the observed person), establishing a mental connection that is experienced as invasive or dominating. There is no physical touch, yet the experience is intense, even immobilizing. The schema draws from embodied experiences of being watched: how attention can feel like weight or pressure. Thus, the abstract concept of intense observation or psychological locking mapped onto a physical experience of being pinned or held in place. The expression transforms visual focus into a forceful link, showing how language uses concrete bodily action to express intangible mental states, anchoring abstract experience in shared sensory reality.

5.2Causal Connection as a Means of Hausa Link Schema

6. Yàwàn dàamùwà nȁ̀sá hàawàn jìnìi

Gloss: abundance-of worry-inanimate.POSS cause rise-of blood (pressure)

Literal (semantic) Meaning: (Excessive worry causes high blood pressure.)

Two entities have been causally connected; dàamùwà(cause)+ hàawàn jìnìi (effect)

Literally, this expression means that frequent or intense worry/stress results in a rise in blood pressure, a medical condition known as hypertension. The Link Image Schema here connects “Damuwa” (worry, stress — a mental/emotional state) and “Hawan jini” (high blood pressure — a physical/medical condition). The schema presents a causal link which in this case an internal emotional experience (worry) is tied to a physical condition (elevated blood pressure). The idea is that emotional strain leads to bodily consequences. The expression reflects a medically recognized chain of causality where “Yawan damuwa” leads to stress response in the body causing “Hawan jini”.

This linkage is partly physical and partly metaphorical but ultimately grounded in physical observation. Damuwa is an internal state that is not directly visible, but inferred from behavior, speech, and demeanor. So, it's metaphorically observed. Hawan jini is physically observable, measurable by medical instruments like a blood pressure monitor. Thus,Yàwàn dàamùwà nȁ̀sá hàawàn jìnìi" the Link Image Schema expresses a partly metaphorical but medically grounded causal connection between emotional distress and physical illness. The mind-body link is clear: an abstract internal state (worry) leads to a measurable physical effect (high blood pressure), reflecting a deep cultural and scientific truth.

7. Ilímìi nà kòoràr jaahílcìi

Gloss: knowledge-inanimate- drive away-of ignorance

 Semantic Literal Meaning: "Knowledge drives away ignorance"

Two entities have been causally connected; Ilímìi (cause) + jaahílcìi(effect)

The expression “Ilimi na korar jahilci” (Education drives out ignorance) establishes a cause-effect relationship where ‘ilimi’ (education) acts as the force that removes ‘jahilci’ (ignorance). The verb “korar” (to drive out) implies a direct, almost physical displacement, framing education as an active agent against ignorance. This reflects a Link Schema where one entity (education) dynamically erases another (ignorance), to clear space. 

The schema operates metaphorically, mapping abstract concepts onto physical actions:‘korar’ evokes spatial removal (e.g., expelling waste), while ‘jahilci’ conceptualized as a contaminant. The semantic structure follows a causative clause (Agent-Verb-Patient), and cognitively, it aligns with metaphors like “KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT” (ignorance as darkness) and “EDUCATION IS CLEANSING”. Though the link is non-physical, it leverages embodied experiences (e.g., cleaning) to structure abstract causality. 

8. Nàacìi nà sàa à cìmmà bùurìi

Gloss: effort DEF cause to achieve goal

Semantic Literal Meaning: "Effort leads to goal achievement”

Two entities have been causally connected; Nàacìi (cause) + cìmmà bùurìi(effect)

This expression asserts that stubbornness or persistence (naci) causes or enables a person to achieve goals (a cimma buri). It implies that consistent effort or refusal to give up is instrumental in success. The link schema shows a causal relationship between “Naci” (persistence a behavioural attitude or internal disposition) and “Cimma buri” (goal achievement the realization of intent or desire). This forms a motivational cause-effect schema, where internal effort is linked to external success. It aligns with the PATH schema, where persistence serves as force propelling movement toward a goal. The assumption is that without persistence, distractions, failures, or fatigue would prevent one from reaching the destination so “naci” is the fuel behind accomplishment.

Based on the structure, it follows a causative declarative form: "Naci” mental trait (persistence) [Abstract Noun (Attitude)] + "na sa" (causes / leads to) [Causative Verb] + “cimma buri" (to attain a goal) [Goal-oriented Verb Phrase]. On the other side, it follows a CAUSE → EFFECT metaphor, relying on: “PURSUING A GOAL IS A JOURNEY” → the person moves toward an endpoint “PERSISTENCE IS A DRIVING FORCE” → it pushes against obstacles            “ACHIEVEMENT IS REACHING A DESTINATION” → buri is conceptualized as a place reached.

The link metaphorically observed that Naci is a mental and behavioral quality, not directly visible but inferred through repeated action. Cimma buri is also abstract, though it might result in visible achievements; it represents an internal fulfilment or social success. Nàacìi nà sàa à cìmmà bùurìi showcases a metaphorically observed link schema, where persistence leads causally to goal attainment. Its semantic structure is causative, and its cognitive metaphor frames goal-seeking as a journey, with naci as a driving force.

9. Màgàní nà kòoràr cútàa

Gloss: medicine-inanimate- drive away-of sickness

 Semantic Literal Meaning: "Medicine drives away illness"

Two entities have been connected causally; Màgàní (cause)+ kòoràr cútàa(effect)

This sentence states that medicine (magani) acts as a force that drives away disease or illness (cuta). It reflects a common understanding of the role of treatment in restoring health.  The link schema involves active cause-effect with an expulsion or removal structure. ‘Magani’ (medicine a substance or treatment applied to the body) where medicine is conceptualized as an agent with force capable of removing an unwanted presence ‘Korar cuta’ (expelling disease, a metaphorical removal of an internal negative condition).

On the semantic structure rule type, the expression follows an agentive causative clause: “Magani” (medicine) Agent Noun + “na korar” (to drive away) Causative Verb + "cuta" (disease) Undesired State Noun. It also follows several conceptual metaphors: “DISEASE IS AN ENEMY” → something that enters and harms the body. “THE BODY IS A CONTAINER” → illness is inside and must be pushed out. “MEDICINE IS A DEFENDER” → with power to expel, push, or neutralize harm. “HEALING IS CLEANSING” → removal of illness leads to restoration.

The link metaphorically observed, even though rooted in physical processes. ‘Magani’ is a tangible substance, physically observed. ‘Cuta’, while sometimes outwardly visible (symptoms), is often conceptualized as a force or entity. ‘Kora’ (to expel) is metaphorical, diseases don’t literally “run away,” but are reduced, suppressed, or eliminated internally. “Màgàní nà kòoràr cútàa” presents a metaphorically observed causal link schema, where medicine (agent) expels illness (enemy). Its semantic structure is agentive and causative, while its cognitive metaphors frame illness as an intruder and healing as a process of removal.

10. Kiba mai yawa tana sa ciwon suga.

Gloss: (Fatness-COML more does put diabetics)

Semantic Literal Meaning: Excess obesity causes diabetes

Two entities have been connected causally; Kiba mai yawa(cause)+ ciwon suga (effect)

From the above expression, we could understand that our analysis provides that the link schema is between the two phrases ‘Kiba mai yawa’ excess obesity and ‘Ciwon Suga’ diabetics. There is linkage between the two based on the assumption of causal connection, here we could find out and analysed that the causality between the two. The causal connection of ‘Ciwon Suga’ diabetics is ‘Kiba’ excess obesity.

The connection or linkage between the two observed that excess obesity causes diabetics. Here the link schema has been physically observed not metaphorically observed. The research only analyses the physical connection between the two. Because link schema is an image schema connected physically or metaphorically.

6. Conclusion

This paper has explored the cognitive underpinnings of selected Hausa expressions that utilize link image schemas to conceptualize abstract meanings. Through the lens of Cognitive Semantics and Conceptual Integration Theory, it was demonstrated that expressions involving physical linkage: such as tying, joining, or blending, serve as powerful metaphors for social, emotional, and psychological connections. The analysis reveals that Hausa logical and causal connection schemas are grounded in embodied experiences and expressed through culturally rich linguistic forms. Across cause–effect, means–end, and condition–consequence relations, the LINK schema serves as the cognitive foundation that connects ideas, actions, and results. Hausa speakers’ reason through images of movement, force, and connection using physical, social, and moral experiences to conceptualize logical and causal relations. Logical and causal reasoning in Hausa are motivated, morally oriented, and culturally grounded, confirming the cognitive semantic claim that meaning arises from embodied understanding. By highlighting both fusion and accommodation, the paper has contributed to a nuanced understanding of how Hausa speakers metaphorically link the abstract to the concrete through culturally and bodily-grounded schemas.

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