Abstract

Uwa bu afia, “the world is a market-place,” is far more than an ordinary statement to be taken on its face value. It is fully loaded and tightly packed in meaning at its deeper layers. While analysis of lexical and syntactic meaning within such metaphorical expressions is necessary for a thorough understanding of the statements' multi-level meaning, the discourse and pragmatic aspects of their use bring heavy accretions to their meaning.Thus, by studying the way meaning inheres in the expression, we are opening the way for incorporation of the world-view of a people in their use of language, since every language has a hidden code.Consequently, uwa bu afia, is a reminder that the world is not a permanent place of abode just as a market is not. It draws attention to the fact that the only permanent phenomenon is temporality. It is a warning against the mindless monuments which we erect as a consequence of insensitivity to our otherness