Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a global issue affecting women and girls in different parts of the world. Over 140 million girls and women have undergone FGM worldwide. In the UK, 130,000 girls and women live with the consequences of FGM (Reid 2014). In Kuria region of Kenya, 96% of women and girls have undergone FGM (Oloo et al 2010) despite its illegal status. FGM has been approached from the religious, medical and human rights perspectives but the linguistic perspective has not yet been considered. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper seeks to address the FGM issue from a linguistic perspective by analysing metaphors in female circumcision in Kuria Kenya. Focus is on how through discourse, gender inequalities are normalised and advanced within a sociocultural system and how this, in turn, contributes to legitimation of FGM. Findings show that metaphors function as discursive strategies for constructing and maintaining dominant patriarchal hegemonies and maintaining the status quo while reinforcing the perpetuation of FGM. I suggest that an understanding of the role of gender and discourse in FGM could influence efforts to end the practice and lead to positive change.

中文翻译：

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“耳环和盾牌”：肯尼亚库里亚女性生殖器切割歌曲中的隐喻和性别话语

切割女性生殖器 (FGM) 是一个全球性问题，影响着世界不同地区的妇女和女童。全世界有超过 1.4 亿女孩和妇女经历过女性生殖器切割。在英国，有 130,000 名女孩和妇女承受着女性生殖器切割的后果（Reid 2014）。在肯尼亚的库里亚地区，96% 的妇女和女童尽管是非法的，但仍接受了女性生殖器切割（Oloo 等，2010 年）。女性生殖器切割已经从宗教、医学和人权角度进行了探讨，但尚未考虑语言角度。本文利用批判性话语分析 (CDA)，试图通过分析肯尼亚库里亚女性割礼中的隐喻，从语言角度解决女性生殖器切割问题。重点是如何通过话语，在社会文化系统内使性别不平等正常化和推进，以及这反过来又如何，有助于 FGM 的合法化。研究结果表明，隐喻可以作为构建和维持主导的父权霸权和维持现状的话语策略，同时加强女性生殖器切割的延续。我建议理解性别和话语在女性生殖器切割中的作用可能会影响结束这种做法并导致积极变化的努力。