Anthropomorphisms in Hausa Political Poetry: A Cognitive Semantic Analysis

Cite this article as: Auwal, M. D., & Muhammad, S. A. (2026). Anthropomorphisms in Hausa political poetry: A cognitive semantic analysis. Sokoto Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (SOJOLICS), 2(2), 221-231. https://doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i02.020

By

Muhammad Dayyib Auwal, Ph. D

Department of Nigerian Languages

Northwest University, Kano

tayyibtayyibabba@gmail.com

08037340691

&

Sani Abdullahi Muhammad Ph.D

Department of Nigerian Languages

Northwest University, Kano

Saniabdullahi149@gmail.com

08065845152

Abstract

This paper sets out to investigate the cognitive aspect of Hausa anthropomorphisms. The objectives of the paper are to reveal out the composed Hausa anthropomorphisms in some verses of the political poetry of Malam Imam Sani Gaya titled N.P.N Dandalin Cuta. Another objective of the paper discovers the mapping attributes of animate entity to the non-living entity (N.P.N).The study realizes that the analyzed Hausa anthropomorphisms are all metaphorical in nature and the study uses Conceptual Metaphor Theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980) as a guide frame in discovering the attributive features of the animate and mapped onto the political party N.P.N. Observation technique is adopted in collecting the data of the study and one important finding of the study indicates that Hausa anthropomorphisms are there found in the poetry of N.P.N Dandalin Cuta. Another important finding indicates that, the attributive features of human concept are mapped upon the inanimate (political party) conceptually, and this makes some verses of the poetry anthropomorphized.

Keywords: Anthropomorphism, Hausa, Poetry, Cognitive Semantics

1.0 Introduction

Hausa is a language where different researches have been conducted in both formal and cognitive semantics. The studies that were carried out in Hausa with cognitive semantic view are that of Almajir (2014), Auwal, (2018), Auwal (2023), Auwal & Garba (2024), Auwal et. al. (2025) Gwarzo (2015), Imamu (2017) among others. However, anthropomorphism as one of the figurative devices describes human characteristics, traits, or attributes plotted upon to non-human entities like political parties etc.

The analyzed data of this study were observed from the poetry of Malam Imamu Sani Gaya titled N.P.N. Dandalin Cuta. N.P.N. is a political party that stands for National Party of Nigeria. It dominated Nigeria’s Second Republic from 1979to 1983. The party’s leader was alhaji Shehu Shagari who won the 1979 presidential election. The party controlled seven state governments where its tenure was married by corruption scandals and electoral malpractices, ultimately leading to its overthrow in a 1983 military coup.

1.1 Biography of Malam Imamu Sani Gaya

Malam Imamu Sani Gaya was born in 1943 at Gaya town of Kano state. His father Malam Sani Gaya was an Islamic scholar popularly known as Malam Mai-Darasu Alaramma, who spent all his lives at the Gaya town teaching the book of Allah (Qur’an).

Malam Imam studied under his father’s guidance and memorized the whole Qur’an at the age of fifteen. He wrote the holy Qur’an seven times in his life time and also studied many books of Islamic Jurisprudence under his father guidance. The Imam mastered some poetry books likeAlburda, Hamziyya, Ishriniya etc.

Sheikh Imam continued to pursue knowledge of Tajweed from Arabic scholars who arranged seminars on theoretical and practical teaching of Tajweed. The young Imam mastered the field of Tajweed and later joined his father in teaching and learning activities at the father’s school. The school was regarded popular, and produces number of students who memorized the complete holy Qur’an. The students participated at several organized Qur’anic Recitation Competitions both at the national and international level. And finally, Malam Imamu died at Gaya town in 1993, he left number poetries written both in Ajami and Western alphabets (Boko).

1.2 Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities (Epley, et.al 2007). In another words, anthropomorphism is a figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is given human characteristics or qualities (Baldick, 2001).In another view, anthropomorphism refers to the tendency to attribute human-like qualities, intentions, or emotions to non-human entities, including animals, objects, and supernatural beings (Guthrie, 1993).The meaning of the concept can also be seen as a literary device in which an author attributes human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts (Abraham &Harpham, 2012).Therefore, anthropomorphism is the mapping attributes or traits of human entity to the concept that can no longer be a human concept or domain.

1.3 Hausa Land

Hausa has about 35 to 40 million speakers and is one among the hundred and thirty (130) Chadic Languages of the Afro-Asiatic phylum (Newman, 2000). In estimation, Hausa is estimated to have about 57 million native speakers (Sani, 2009). Speakers of the language comprise ethnic Hausa and settled Fulani, who inhabit Hausa land, which encompasses Nigeria’s northern states right until Niger’s southern province (Newman, 2000). The language is used by a large population in the Chadic Language family (Greenberg, 1963). Throughout West Africa’s scattered settlements, Hausa is spoken as a first language. Likewise, in Northern Nigeria and some other West African countries, such as Benin, Togo, Cameroun and Ghana. Hausa is used by millions of the non-Hausa as their second language. Hausa is a language that structurally operates under Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure (Zimmermann, 2006). Another grammatical feature of the language is that it shows high gender distinctions (Galadanci, 1976), for example, second and third-person pronouns in Hausa show gender distinctions. Moreover, Hausa is a tonal language with lexical and distinctive grammatical and syntactic aspects in both its phonological structure of tone (high, low, falling) and length (long vs. short). The syllable patterns of the language are of two types: open and closed.

1.4 Poetry

Poetry is a form of discourse or literary work that employs language, sound, and rhythm to evoke emotions, ideas, or experiences, often using techniques like metaphor, symbolism, and imagery (Preminger & Brogan, 1993). In another scholastic view, poetry is a type of literature that uses aesthetic and often symbolic language to evoke meanings that may be ambiguous and multiple, often focusing on the sound and rhythm of words (Baldick, 2001). In addition, poetry is a form of writing that uses imaginative language, rhythm, and often rhyme to express emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a condensed and powerful way (Fowler, 1995). Therefore, this paper discusses the cognitive semantic aspect of Hausa anthropomorphisms found in the poetry of Malam Imamu Sani Gaya titled N.P.N.DandalinCuta.

1.5 Cognitive Semantics

Cognitive semantics is a part of larger enterprises of cognitive linguistics; it represents an approach to the study of mind and its relationship with embodied experience and culture(Evans & Green (2006).The approach also considered that, the mind of the human being is so embodied in such a way that our conceptual systems draw largely upon the peculiarities of the human body and the specifics of our physical and cultural environment (Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 1987; Yu, 2008; Maalej & Yu, 2011).

2.0 Literature Review

Almajir (2013) discussed on the polysemy of body part-terms within the image schemas in Hausa language. Likewise, Onoja (2014) made a comparative analysis for the hyponyms of cooking terms in English and Igala. In the study of Danglli (2014), he investigated number of lexical relations such as synonymy, antonymy, polysemy and homonymy, with special attention paid to the relationship between synonymy and the other lexical relations. In another contribution to the field of semantics, Ayegba (2018) conducted a study on comparative hyponymous of kinship terms in Igala and English. However, in line with the current study perspective, Taher (2019) presented a cognitive semantic analysis of the impact of socio-cultural factors on meaning construction in selected English and Arabic proverbs.

3.0 Theoretical Framework

The study employs Conceptual Metaphor Theory and was developed by Lakoff and Johnson in (1980). The theory has been highly influential both within cognitive linguistics and the social sciences, particularly in neighboring disciplines like cognitive psychology and anthropology.

In the metaphorical expression love is a journey; there is a conventional link at the conceptual level between the domain of love relationships and the domain of journeys. According to the view, love, which is the target (the domain being described), is conventionally structured in terms of journeys, which is the source (the domain in terms of which the target is described). What makes it a metaphor is the conventional association of one domain with another.

Lakoff and Johnson also observed that there are a number of distinct roles that populate the source and target domains. For example, journeys includes travellers, a means of transport, a route followed and obstacles along the route and so on. Similarly, the target domain love relationship includes lovers and events in the relationship.

Evans and Green (2006:295) stress that the metaphor works by mapping roles from the sources onto the target: lovers become travellers (we are at a crossroads), who travel by a particular means of transport (we are spinning our wheels), proceeding along a particular route (our relationship went off course), impeded by obstacles (our marriage is on the rocks). As these examples demonstrate, a metaphorical link between two domains consists of a number of distinct correspondences or mappings.

4.0 Data and Methodology

The methodology used in sourcing the working data of the study is observation. However, “Observation is a technique of data collection in which the researcher made a personal visit to the field or respondents and collects relevant data’ (Haruna, 2008:95). In the process of collecting the study data, one of the poet’s books titled Wakokin Malam Imamu Sani Gaya was read, observed and pick out the relevant data for the study.

5.0 Analysis and Discussion

 Lakoff and Johnson (1980) see anthropomorphism as a cognitive mechanism were humans project human qualities, characteristics, or emotions onto non-human entities, like objects, animals, or abstract concepts. This helps us understand complex ideas or relate to the world around us. Therefore, this part presents and analyzes the Hausa anthropomorphisms found in the poetry verses of N.P.N Dandalin Cuta. The poetry has seventy-one verses with two stanzas that make a single verse. Accordingly, the analysis of the verses can be seen in the following:

Talakaawaasaiku zoo mu tafi,

Gun N.P.P mu gaidaa ta.

This is the first verse of the poetry and the human attribute gaisuwaa ‘greeting’ that makes the verse anthropomorphized. So let’s study the table below and see how the mapping process is done from the animate onto the inanimate N.P.N. lets observe the table below:

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature Upon the Target
Human	Gaisuwaa ‘greetings’	N.P.P.	Talakaawaasaiku zo mu tafi, gun N.P.P. mu gaida ta. “Masses let gather ourselves, to go and greet N.P.P.”

In the table, we have seen that, the attribute gaisuwaa “greetings” for the animate entity is mapped upon to the non-living entity (N.P.P.), and clearly this makes the political verse anthropomorphized. In mapping the attribute gaisuwaaupon the human entity, we could get the expression that isn’t metaphorical. Let’s see the statement below:

Daalibansunagaisaawaa da malam.

The students are greeting the teacher.

But in looking at the conceptual meaning of the attribute, we could use our mind to understand the metaphorical expression below:

Talakaawaasaiku zoo mu tafi, gun N.P.P. mu gaidaa ta.

Masses let gather ourselves, to go and greet N.P.P.

 Accordingly, the attached attribute gaisuwaa ‘greetings’ to the inmate entity (N.P.P) in the verse above, makes the expression conceptually anthropomorphized.

N.P.N.baabu baa maa yii,

Doomingirmanmaasifarta.

This is the second verse that carries another human quality and mapped it onto the non-living N.P.N.

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped FeatureUpon the Target
Human	Masiifaa ‘rudeness’	N.P.N	N.P.N baabu baa maa yi, doomingirmanmasiifarta “We are not supporting N.P.N for its rudeness”

In the table above, we discover the human attribute masiifaa which is mapped onto to the inanimate concept N.P.N. Andin mapping the trait upon the animate entity itself; we might study the expression below:

Matar da akwaimaasifaa.

The woman is very rude.

In conceptualizing the attribute masiifaa ‘rudeness’, we might perceptually understand that, the feature is conceptually anthropomorphized. Therefore, let’s observe the following expression:

N.P.N. baabu baa maa yi, doomingirmanmasiifarta.

We are not supporting N.P.N. for its rudeness.

N.P.N tai rawaasosai,

Ta tattaakeeiyaalintaa.

This is the verse thirty of the poetry. It contains the attributes that are considered for human concept alone. The two attributes are rawaa ‘dancing’ and tattaaka ‘matching’. Let’s see the following table:

Source of the Feature	Human Features	The Target Domain	The Mapped Features Upon the Target
Human	Rawaa ‘dancing’andtattaaka ‘matching’	N.P.N	N.P.N. tai rawaa soosai, taatattaake eiyaalinta. “N.P.N. danced a lot, and it matches over her kids”

In considering the above attributes, the expressions below couldn’t sound metaphorical in nature.

Mawaakinyanaarawaasoosai.

The poet dances very well.

Binta taataaka taboo.

Binta matched on clay.

However, in considering the cognitive aspect of the attributes, we would simply map the human qualities to the inanimate N.P.N. The statement below says:

N.P.N. tai rawaasoosai, kumataatattaakeeiyaalinta.

N.P.N. danced a lot, and it matches over her kids.

Mai son maidoo da zaalincii,

Faataa Allah Yaa tsiinee ta.

In the verse above, we see the trait zaalincii ‘wickedness’ as the mapped character onto the inanimate N.P.N. The feature is used to describe the attitude of the political party (N.P.N) leaders. The table below identifies the source, target and the feature transfer to the non-animate concept.

 

Source of the Feature	Human Features	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature Upon the Target
Human	zaalincii ‘wickedness’	N.P.N	Mai son maidoo da zaalincii, faataa Allah Yaa tsiinee ta. ‘It has the wish of wickedness, we pray for God to curse her’

We have clearly seen that, the human attribute is mapped onto the non-living entity (N.P.N) as a result of the party leaders’ wickedness. But in given the attribute directly to human, we may study the following statement:

Dan siyaasarazzaaluminmutum nee.

The politician is a wicked person.

Based on the assumption of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, similar features are mapped from source to target concepts, and this happens between the source here human and the target domain N.P.N. lets further conceptualize the expression below:

Mai son maidoo da zaalincii, faataa Allah Yaa tsiinee ta.

It has the wish of wickedness; we pray for God curse her.

N.P.N ta wahalaccee mu,

Doomin baa wandazai manta.

By studying the above verse again, what would easily come to our mind is the issue of anthropomorphism. N.P.N is a political party and the trait wahalarwaa ‘hardship’ is used to describe the party or the party leaders attribute.

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature Upon the Target
Human	Wahalarwaa ‘hardship’	N.P.N	N.P.Nta wahalaccee mu, doomin baa wandazai manta. ‘N.P.N put us through hardship and no one will forget’.

The attribute wahalarwaa ‘hardship’ could be used to describe the attitude of human being as in the following statement:

Shuugabankasarnaawahalar da muu.

The president is given us a hard time.

But in conceptualizing the anthropomorphized verse, we could easily state the following expression:

N.P.N ta wahalaccee mu, doomin baa wandazai manta.

N.P.N put us through hardship and no one will forget.

6. Taa faadibazaa ta miikeeba,

N.P.N. dukmasiifarta.

This verse also explains the mapping correspondences of traits from the source human onto the non-living N.P.N. The table below shows the entities identification.

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature Upon the Target
Human	Faaduwaa ‘falling/failing’	N.P.N	Taa faadibazaa ta miikeeba, N.P.N. dukmasiifarta. ‘it failed and won’t revive again, no matter how brave it is’

Here, the attribute faaduwaa is seen mapped onto to the animate concept itself as the expression below shows:

Gwamnanyaafaadizaaben.

The governor failed the election.

 In perceiving the metaphorical nature of the attribute, let’s ponder about the expression below:

Taa faadibazaa ta miikeeba, N.P.N. dukmasiifarta.

It failed and won’t revive again, no matter how brave it is.

By studying the above expression, we have clearly seen the feature transfer from the two different domains.

7.Karyaa cee tsoohuwarmaiya,

 Mai cin ‘yaa’yaa da jikanta.

 The trait tsohuwaa ‘old woman’ mapped upon to the political party makes the verse metaphorical or anthropomorphized. Let’s see the table below:

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature upon the Target
Human	Tsoohuwaa ‘old woman’ and maiyaa ‘witch’	N.P.N	Karyaa cee tsoohuwarmaiyaa, Mai cin ‘yaa’yaa da jikanta. ‘It’s a bitch and a witch; it kills her kids and grandkids.

When talking about the literal usage of the attributes, we might say:

Matar tsoohuwaa cee.

The woman is an old.

Waccan matar maiyaa cee.

That woman is a witch.

However, in perceiving the conceptual meanings of the features, we can study the expression below:

Karyaa cee tsoohuwaar maiyaa, maicin ‘yaa’yaa da jikanta.

It’s a bitch and a witch; it kills her kids and grandkids.

By thinking about the statement above, what would come to our mind is that, the attributes clearly make the statement metaphorical.

8.Wahalar da akee ta shaabaara,

N.P.N ce ta shiryaa ta.

In considering this additional verse again, we might conceptually understand the kind of hardship people experienced during the ruling time of N.P.N. The table below shows the source, the target and the mapping processes of the feature.

Source of the Feature	Human Feature	The Target Domain	The Mapped Feature upon the Target
Human	Wahalarwaa‘hardship’and shiryaawaa ‘arrangement’	N.P.N	Wahalar da akee ta shaabaara, N.P.N ce ta shiryaa ta. ‘The experience of the last year hardship was set by N.P.N.

Therefore, the attributes here are used to show their usage on the animate concept as in the following statements:

‘Yan siyaasar nee sukeesanyaaraayuwarmutaanee a cikinwahalaa.

 It was the politicians put the lives of people in hardship.

Duk abubuwan nan ‘yansiyaasa ne sukashiryaasu.

The arrangements were done by the politicians.

However, in transferring the attributes to the inanimate N.P.N, we could make the expression that is metaphorically anthropomorphized:

Wahalar da akee ta shaabaara, N.P.N ce ta shiryaa ta.

The experience of the last year hardship was set by N.P.N.

6.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, Hausa is a language with the figurative device anthropomorphisms, and the analyzed data were observed and picked out from the poetry of Malam Imamu Sani Gaya titled N.P.N Dandalin Cuta. The findings of the study indicate that, the poet uses different human attributes and mapped them upon the non-human entity N.P.N. The study uses Conceptual Metaphor Theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980) in showing the source and the target concepts in line with the mapping process of attributes from the animate onto the non-living entity (N.P.N.).

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