Blended Reading of the Reading of Metaphors: An Interpretive Approach to Selected Tanzanian Kiswahili Sports Newspaper Headlines

The development of society is highly dependent on the health and well-being of its members, which is largely influenced by the conscious choices of lifestyle engagements, especially those related to mental and physical fitness. For this reason, societies have established appropriate infrastructures, institutions and systems for sustainable health. Media houses worldwide continue to innovate to enhance their contribution through edutainment to this important goal of society, particularly through sports reporting in newspapers. This paper reports on a study conducted in Nyamagana District using metaphors in Tanzanian Kiswahili sports newspaper headlines, seeking to establish readers' interpretations of the significance of culture and cultural aesthetics involved. Data included readers' responses to interview questions, with 50 respondents sampled purposively, randomly, and conveniently. In addition, documentary review was used in a mixed methods approach guided by the interpretive paradigm, Stylistics and Conceptual Metaphor theory. The analysis involved thematic and narrative methods. An interfaced and cyclic linguistic-literary-literary-linguistic analysis of findings revealed that metaphors were creatively used and they enhanced readership by the use of metaphoric wordplays. The study established that the sports newspapers were successful in reaching the audience and sensitizing the public on development issues beyond sports and that culture played a central aesthetic role in the entire process. The study recommends multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies on various forms of reporting as a contribution to feedback in media houses and academic discourses, thus providing a more comprehensive understanding of ourselves and our worlds.