THE SEMANTICS AND METAPHORS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND CHALLENGES OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

Abstract

The paper employs a cognitive semantics framework in examining the meaning of “higher educationâ€(HE) in Nigeria. This is approached by analysing some conceptual domains and metaphors normally associated with “higher education†in the country (and elsewhere). The last section of the paper provides a few suggestions as to how we might “reframe†the notion of “higher education†in a knowledge society. The analysis reveals that HE is polysemous and that the various meanings of HE are as a result of constraining it in different (though not unrelated) conceptual domains. In addition, the linguistic expressions and discourse used to describe and talk about “higher education†are highly metaphorical. Together, the conceptual domains and the metaphors for higher education create a complex semantic structure for the phrase “higher educationâ€. The constructs also allows the meaning of HE to evolve and expand (with older meanings for the concept becoming outdated as new meanings come into existence as a result of metaphorical extensions and conceptual domain). Accordingly, new ways of talking about various meanings and understanding of “higher education†could help us face and overcome the challenges of the knowledge society and knowledge economy.