Metaphors Undergraduates of Jimma University Communicate by Conceptualizations of Gender and Promiscuity

Abstract

The study attempted to assess how the language undergraduates of JimmaUniversity (JU) use in sex discourse shapes their perception of gender and promiscuity.Qualitative data were gathered from 4 focus group discussions, 35 key informants (20males, 15 females), selected through snow-ball sampling. Content analysis was used toanalyze the data. The analysis revealed that respondents mainly use metaphors not onlyto construct men as dominating and women as dominated class in sexual relationships,but also to perpetuate promiscuity. The study concluded that language use is a criticalfactor to aggravate undergraduates‟ risky sexual behavior. The study recommendedprograms that foster safer sex in college context to emphasize gender focusedcommunication activities that could help young students question their assumptions ofgender, promiscuity, and language use. Future research on sex discourse andintervention among undergraduates should seek more on how language use in sexualcommunication positively shapes their perception of gender and promiscuity.