Address forms and self-reference practices in Kenya
A semio-cultural conceptualization perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21200926 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mohammad Hossein Keshavarz (0000-0002-7323-8752, University of Ibadan), Maureen Kajuju Murori Panagiotou (Pan-Atlantic University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 245-267 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Pragmatics and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1878-9714 • E-ISSN: 1878-9722 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/ps.23091.kes |
| OpenAlex | W4414352970 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
Previous research on address forms has largely focused on the effect of sociolinguistic variables on address practices. Yet, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has investigated this phenomenon from a semio-cultural conceptualization perspective within the Kenyan context. Thus, the current study aims to fill this gap by exploring how address forms and self-reference terms in Kenya are culturally conceptualized. The data for this study were drawn from three popular Kenyan TV dramas: Vioja Mahakamani , The Real Housewives of Kawangware , and Selina . The episodes were viewed multiple times, and instances of address forms and self-reference terms were identified and analyzed. The findings indicate that these linguistic forms are deeply entrenched in Kenyan culture and reflect semio-cultural conceptualizations such as cultural schemas, emotion schemas, and cultural categories. These conceptualizations, in turn, express aspects of gender identity, age-related norms, and social status. The study underscores the value of a semio-cultural conceptualization approach in understanding the complex interplay between language and culture. It also recommends that future research continue exploring the linguistic expressions of cultural practices in Kenya and other sociocultural settings
Conceptualization · Cultural values · Kenya · Phenomenon · Sociocultural evolution · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Multilingual Education and Policy
Terms of Address
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The roles of a Grandmother in African societies – please do not send them to old people’s homes
Address inversion in Swahili
The interplay of linguistic universals and cultural knowledge in personal address
Gender Stereotypes and the Attribution of Leadership Traits
Social Indexicality in French Pronominal Address
Formal forms and discernment
Terms of address and Hungarian society
The role of social context, intimacy, and distance in the choice of forms of address
Non-kin forms of address in Hindi
Some Aspects of the Use of Pronouns of Address in Yiddish
Forms of address in post-revolutionary Iranian Persian
Rules of address in Italy
A Sociolinguistic analysis of address forms in Yoruba
The problem of peers in Vietnamese interaction
| Highly cited | No |
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