Framing Tricksterhood: Linguistic and Cultural Characterizations of Badɛre the Spider in Dagaare Folktales

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic construction and cultural framing of tricksterhood in Dagaare folktales through an analysis of five narratives centered on the character of Badɛre (Spider). Drawing on discourse analysis and ethnopragmatics, the study investigates three main research questions: (i) how Badɛre is linguistically and semantically constructed in the narratives; (ii) what cultural meanings and values are embedded in his behavior; and (iii) how tricksterhood functions within Dagaare society. Data were collected through fieldwork conducted in February 2025 in the Dagaaba communities of Sombo and Guree in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The study employed qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and storytelling sessions, all of which were audio-visually recorded. The findings show that Badɛre is lexically constructed as clever, cunning, deceptive, greedy, opportunistic, and sometimes foolish, while semantically functioning as a figure of irony, reversal, social critique, and moral ambiguity. The analysis further reveals that tricksterhood in Dagaare folklore operates through four interconnected dimensions: moral agency, wisdom and intelligence, social critique, and ambivalence. Overall, the study demonstrates that Dagaare trickster narratives are not merely entertaining stories, but culturally embedded forms of moral instruction, social commentary, and indigenous knowledge transmission.