My final project will be on the key term “metaphor.” I’m still brainstorming the best format, but it might consist of a visual presentation that uses text, images, and audio clips. Through this project, I am interested in analyzing the significance and background of metaphors in Cuban expressions. I want to provide a list of examples of these expressions and translate them from Spanish to English. I am excited by this multilingual approach to my final project because I know many of these metaphors will not make sense in English. To me, this further emphasizes how language, culture, and lived experiences influence metaphors and allow them to make sense for (or bewilder) different populations.
I think the concept of metaphor is particularly interesting because of the ways in which metaphors of different languages reflect the experiences of certain cultural and ethnic groups. Growing up, I heard countless examples of metaphors and figurative language in my Cuban immigrant family’s dialect. I would especially hear my grandmother engage in hours of storytelling and apply her handy mental list of Cuban expressions to almost every dilemma we encountered, which often use metaphors in referencing real-life issues. As a child, I did not pay much attention to the connection between figurative language and culture, but now I am eager to delve more into this as an adult who can better understand the significance of figurative language.
One potential audience for my project is individuals interested in diverse forms of language, culture, and storytelling in general. My project could also be targeted toward people interested in learning more about Cuban culture in general. Since this project is more subjective to my experiences rather than being based on research from secondary sources, it may be seen as too casual or unreliable as a source for learning about Cuban culture. However, I feel it will still hold some worth and can be considered relevant, firsthand “research.”
Generic conventions for my project would include 1) an informal approach for tackling the topics of language and culture, 2) obtaining firsthand information from my family members to record a list of Cuban expressions, and 3) translating and analyzing Cuban expressions and what their metaphors represent.