Conceptual Metaphor Research Articles

Analysis of the idioms of (head) in Kurdish language, from the perspective of cognitive linguistics

This study is entitled (Analysis of the idioms of (head) in Kurdish language, from the perspective of cognitive linguistics). Language is one of the most important human achievements and occupies a large space in human life. Therefore, since the ancient times, humans have paid attention to it and tried to understand its secrets. Idioms are an important part of any language, and studying them helps us to understand the relationship between idioms and metaphors. The school of cognitive linguistics looks at idioms differently from all other linguistic schools. Other linguistic schools have studied the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic aspects of idioms and viewed them as fixed and inseparable structures and expressions. However, the cognitive linguists have a completely different view; they see idioms as conceptual metaphors and interpret every conceptual metaphor in terms of the conceptual matching and interaction between the source and target fields. Our study is an interpretation of the idioms of (head) from the school of cognitive linguistics’ perspective, in light of the theory of conceptual metaphor, the interpretation of idioms has been conducted. In general, the study consists of the introduction, two chapters, the results and the list of references. The first chapter discusses the perception of both schools of ancient and cognitive linguistics for idioms as well as the theory of conceptual metaphor, types of conceptual metaphors and metaphorical interaction between the source and target fields. In the second chapter, the idioms of (head) have been analyzed according to the theory of conceptual metaphor, followed by the results and a list of references.

Metaphor patterns in Sesotho fiction: The case of the novel Chaka

In this study, we examine the nature, distribution, and stylistic effect of metaphors used in the Sesotho novel Chaka. Previous studies have discussed the metaphoric language in Thomas Mofolo’s work, revealing that, among others, Mofolo uses metaphors to articulate his themes and for stylistic effect. We begin our analysis by identifying and listing all the linguistic and underlying conceptual metaphors used in our sample data. We then analyse the linguistic and conceptual metaphors in terms of whether they are conventional or novel and whether they are creatively employed or not. We also explore the distribution of linguistic metaphors across word classes. Lastly, we explore the stylistic effects of these metaphors. The metaphor patterns in Chaka reflect a strong influence of Sesotho cultural and cognitive structures, including orature. The majority of the linguistic metaphors in the novel are the conventional and non-creative ones whose metaphorical meanings are found in Sesotho dictionaries and whose function is to create a text that can resonate with early 20th century Basotho. Our analysis shows that, to a lesser extent, the metaphors were used to create a text similar to Western literary texts and to promote Christianity. Seemly, it is this attribute of having a deep relationship with other Sesotho texts and cultural practices, including Sesotho orature, that led to the delay in the publication of the novel after it had been completed.

Functioning of Conceptual Metaphor in Shaping Image of Iraq in Regional and Federal Media in Germany

This comparative study examines the role of conceptual metaphorization as a means of shaping the image of Iraq in regional and federal media in Germany from 2019 to 2024. The analysis focuses on the frequency of metaphors, the magnitude and dominant features of the nominative field of metaphors, semantic and part-of-speech properties of metaphor representatives, and the salient characteristics of the country as components of its image, along with paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships. It identifies both stable and variable patterns of metaphorization across the two groups of media. The study highlights recurring metaphors such as “Iraq as a Living Being,” “Iraq as an Incomplete Whole,” “Iraq as a Place of Uncontrolled Power,” “Iraq as a Warrior,” “Iraq as a Theater,” “Iraq as a Toy,” and “Iraq as a Refuge.” The findings conclude the effectiveness of conceptual metaphor as a tool for stereotyping; similarities in the composition of metaphors despite differences in their frequency and density across various German media; a predominance of complex, structural, and ontological metaphors; and the presence of compatible and coherent metaphors. Notably, there is an interdependence between the frequency and density of the nominative field of metaphors, with higher density observed in federal media; stability in terms of the part-of-speech affiliation of representatives and dominance of noun representatives; predominant overlap in the dominant features of nominative fields across different media groups; and the existence of metaphors with varying degrees of conventionality.

Conceptual Mappings of Metaphorical Euphemisms in Ekegusii Circumcision Ceremonies

Conceptual mappings are a key tenet of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and are sets of systematic correspondences between the source and target domains. As observed in the relevant literature, it is argued that metaphors establish a conceptual link between a source and target concept such that the target domain is understood through a source domain. As a result, the correspondences are constrained by different mapping scopes which help avoid the transfer of just any kind of feature from the source to the target concept. In this study, we sought to examine the conceptual mappings of metaphorical euphemisms in Ekegusii Circumcision Ceremonies. The study analyzed the conceptual mappings of metaphorical euphemisms used in EC based on the essentials of cognitive metaphor analysis and principles of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). The metaphor-related words (MRWs) identified using the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIPVU) were subjected to conceptual analysis using the CMT. The conceptualization of the target domain euphemisms was obtained through projections in the source domain such as objects, animals, plants, and human beings. In this view, the study identified the following four generic metaphors in Ekegusii Circumcision Discourse; Circumcision is a Human being, Circumcision is an Animal, Circumcision is a Plant and Circumcision is an Object. The study employed a descriptive research design. A combined method of elicitation and the native speaker’s intuition was used to collect culture-specific metaphorical euphemisms through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The quantitative data on the other hand was analyzed using the statistical Package for Social Sciences which is; Chi-square at a significant level of 0.05 was employed to test the association between the overall cross-tabulated corpus of the generic level metaphors versus the influence of demographic variables on the usage of euphemisms in Ekegusii Circumcision ceremonies. The findings of this study not only contribute to the existing literature in cognitive linguistics but also indicate that Ekegusii speakers conceptualize circumcision through metaphorical euphemisms. The findings of this study are of benefit to the ethnographers and metaphor theorists for further reference.

The journey metaphor in Huawei mobile phone commercials

Abstract This paper investigates the creative use of the structural, embodied journey metaphor within the genre of video advertising using Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). Conducting a qualitative analysis of eight Huawei mobile phone commercials, I examine how multimodal resources — visual, verbal and written language, as well as music and sound — are orchestrated to construct and communicate the metaphorical narrative of using a Huawei mobile phone in terms of a journey. The analysis reveals a heavy reliance on visual elements, supported by the strategic use of sound and music, to create metaphors that communicate progress and exploration — themes central to the journey concept. This paper shows how the journey metaphor in audio-visual advertising diverges from its purely verbal varieties by drawing on medium-specific capabilities such as time and space compression, and on hyperbole. It is argued that the journey metaphor’s embodied nature and its potency in aligning the mobile phone with consumer aspirations contribute to the universal appeal and understanding of the commercials.

Metaphorical richness

Abstract The present study probes into a comparative study of metaphorical expressions of money in English and Chinese. By hiring corpus-based methodology, this article aims to gain insight into the universality and variation of money-related conceptual metaphors manifested in corresponding linguistic expressions in English and Chinese. Drawing on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the findings unravel a significant overlay in money-related conceptual metaphors between English and Chinese, upholding a notch of acclaim. Additionally, a small part of money-related conceptual metaphors is specific in a certain kind of language, either in English or Chinese. Meanwhile, the present study tends to explore metaphorical conceptualizations of money primarily based on common bodily experiences, and thus, most money-related conceptual metaphors are universal in English and Chinese, while the variations in English and Chinese can be explained by cultural experiences. Consequently, this research contributes to our understanding of the interplay between conceptual unit schematicity and embodiment hierarchy. Moreover, it bids valued insights for future comparative studies on conceptual metaphors spanning diverse languages and cultures.

The interface between body and culture in the figurative conceptualization of the “eye” in Amharic

Abstract Inspired by the notions of body-based and culturally specific embodiment, this study sheds light on the interface between body and culture in the Amharic conceptualization of ayn ‘eye.’ Applying the “lexical approach”, this paper examines the eye-related metaphors in Amharic monolingual and bilingual dictionaries. At the bodily level, the widespread conceptual metaphors knowing/thinking is seeing and eyes are light sources, and the metonymies eye for person and physiological (eye) change stands for an emotion are present in Amharic. In the cultural dimension, ayn is related to the concept of the “evil eye”, which associates the eye with mystical powers. However, contrary to the widespread superstitious belief of the “evil eye” in other cultures, the notion of the “evil eye” in Amharic is associated with the concept of buda--a class of people socially segregated due to their economic status and their supposedly accursed lineage. This study shows that the presence of similar conceptual metaphors (“vision-light”, “vision-knowledge”, and “eye-emotion/personality” metaphors) and cultural beliefs (the “evil eye”) in different languages/cultures does not necessarily entail equivalent conceptualization.

Dimensions of Metaphor Meaning

For many years, scholars have been proposing generic or universal theories of metaphor, but metaphors turn out to be more complex than that. In this paper, we discuss cases that show that metaphor meanings and mappings are contextual. By contextual, we mean the interactions between multiple factors in different timescales. The cases we analyze to make our point come from our study of resistance to metaphors. When people resist metaphors, they tend to explain what meaning the metaphor has to them, thus we see naturally occurring evidence for metaphor’s dynamic and multidimensional meanings. Contrary to Lakoff’s claims, there can be no single source of meaning to metaphors. In a complex systems perspective, metaphor meaning is construed in the interactions between different factors, such as the background of the speakers and listeners, the grammatical form of the metaphor, the co-text, personality, other characteristics of the metaphor (aptness, familiarity, conventionality), the history of previous uses of the metaphor, etc. All these factors operate in a non-deterministic way. In this perspective, conceptual metaphors, acquired through experiences, are one source of constraint to meaning. People share similar meanings to the degree that they share similar experiences, knowledge, and biases.

Koncepto turinio aprašymas remiantis kategorijos analize: koncepto „miesčioniškumas“ atvejis

The article discusses how different types of material can be used for concept content analysis. The analysis was based on the content associated with the category of philistinism and examples of conceptual metaphors of philistinism. The research conducted shows that this type of research material allows us to see a greater variety of features associated with the spoken concept and to reveal more nuances of the concept of philistinism associated with the worldview of the Lithuanian language. The analysis of the examples of verbalisation of the category of philistinism leads to the conclusion that this phenomenon of non-linguistic reality can be described as a combination of several mutually supporting features. The results of this analysis are complemented by a description of the actualisation of conceptual metaphors of philistinism in language. Significant features of the concept of philistinism are fear of change, emphasis on comfort and convenience, bad taste, lack of progress, stagnation and dormancy.

Metaphor in Music Pedagogy and Its Connection to Embodiment Consciousness

This paper provides a commentary on “Embodiment Consciousness in Music Performance Pedagogy” by Alves and Nogueira, developing the notion that metaphorical language and extra-musical information can allow expert teachers to convey various teaching strategies. I expand upon some of the themes that are addressed in the article and the concept of metaphor in particular. This opens up some interesting ideas around how metaphors are culturally understood phenomena, ones that expert teachers can use to their advantage. The authors provide a framework in which this can be understood in terms of embodiment consciousness. However, there is room for more nuance as it relates to process.

Perancangan Sriwijaya Freshwater Aquarium Safari

The Design of Sriwijaya Freshwater Aquarium is a way to introduce freshwater aquatic biota, educate the public, and a destination in Palembang. This design expects to be able to respond to land conditions and produce an optimal design to persuade tourists. Design data were prepared by using observation, interviews, and literature study methods. The space program in this design includes main facilities (destinations), management buildings, supporting facilities and utilities. A special Space Study (SRK) is an analysis form of main facilities, and some utilities need. While the others used related sources for the type of space needed. The location choices is influenced by transportation and proximity to city landmarks and tourist destinations. The building is a concept of Tangible Metaphor with develop wave, zigzag, arch, and vortex elements as the shape of the main and supporting buildings. Through the analysis, the design of Sriwijaya Freshwater Aquarium Safari in Palembang can respond to land conditions by utilizing a strategic location, producing an optimal design by processing the character of the site and building shape. This could be an idea for supporting education about freshwater aquatic biota, and a new destination to persuade tourists to visit Palembang.

Five Models Used in Contrastive Semantics: A Comprehensive Synthesis and Analysis

The present study aims to assess and contrast five different approaches in the field of contrastive semantics: natural semantic metalanguage (NSM), conceptual metaphor theory (CMT), frame semantics (FC), semantic field theory (SFT), and cognitive grammar (CG). The research is set to review the available literature on the described techniques in order to focus on their distinguishing characteristics, practical applications, and illustrative samples. The findings reveal that these five models do play an insightful role when it comes to analyzing and comparing synonymous and semantically related profiles across distinct languages. Relations of semantic elements are the core concern of NSM while CMT investigates the internal schemata of the mind. As opposed to cognitive frame analysis, where knowledge structures are the central object of study, in SFT are language units grouped according to their meaning, while CG sees no separation of grammatical and meaning structures. This paper expounds on how these frameworks fill the gaps left by each of them and offers a broader understanding of the ways words encode meaning and how speakers of different cultures think about the world. Moreover, this study augments the knowledge regarding the variations of languages and gives an understanding of how languages relate to cognition, culture, and how people think about the world through words.

Selling sustainability: making green advertising more concrete with circular economy message framing

Advertising for green products is often deemed too abstract, limiting some consumers’ interest in purchase. Examination of how to reduce this perceived abstractness is scant. Drawing on construal level theory, conceptual metaphor theory and the circular economy, we propose that circular economy message framing can reduce the perceived abstractness of green advertising because it is based on the conceptual metaphor of a circle. This reduced abstractness, in turn, increases green advertising effectiveness. Two studies demonstrate that circular economy framing of green advertising claims on laundry detergent packaging elicits more concrete interpretation, particularly for consumers in a more concrete mindset who previous research shows are unaffected by green advertising’s perceived abstractness. This more concrete interpretation leads to a willingness to pay more for the advertised brand. A third study shows that when consumers are exposed to an educational video that frames sustainability as the circular economy, they perceive sustainability as more concrete and are more willing to engage in sustainable consumption behaviors than consumers who are exposed to an unrelated video. Findings offer insights for theory and practice to increase green advertising’s effectiveness and improve the uptake of sustainable consumption.

Матрица когнитивных фильтров – инструмент анализа лингвокреатем в современном онлайн-дискурсе на английском языке

The article introduces the matrix of cognitive filters as a research method that makes it possible to model the process of inferring the meaning of lingua-createmes in multimodal online discourse. Multimodal linguistic systems are based on a complex interaction of multimodal components. These components combine with basic cognitive mechanisms in decoding various complex phenomena in digital Internet discourse. The research revealed a classification of key cognitive mechanisms that generate the meaning of creative multimodal elements: banner blindness, evaluative categorization, conceptualization, (de)compression of information, profiling, conceptual metaphor, conceptual metaphthonymy, and conceptual integration. The research material involved 18,000 monomodal verbal and multimodal lingua-createmes selected by continuous sampling from English-language Internet resources, as well as visual and verbal corpora. The method proved effective in modelling the general cognitive resonance of lingua-createmes and predicting cognitive resonance / dissonance (positive or negative) in communication. The practical lingua-cognitive experiment involved 335 English-speaking respondents from eleven countries. They were asked to use the matrix of cognitive filters to perform a step-by-step decoding of several creative multimodal elements. The method proved highly effective for detecting cognitive resonance or mental tension, i.e., positive or negative cognitive dissonance. The method demonstrated good prospects for obtaining additional data on reactions to lingua-creative discursive elements.

Was ist der Gegenstand der Sprachwissenschaft? Oder: Worüber soll eine sprachwissenschaftliche Arbeit informieren?

The metaphors in a newspaper commentary about a football match are described and analysed using linguistic methods. The question should not be determined by a theory of metaphors. The metaphors are not only grasped according to their metaphorical concept, but rather their effect on the text and in the text is asked. It turns out that the ‘direct questioning of the text’, which must be theory-based, but not theory-driven, is far more productive than the initial description of the theory with a subsequent collection of confirmatory examples.

Metaphern der Liebe in den Gedichten ‚Erklär mir, Liebe‘ von Ingeborg Bachmann und ‚Worte‘ von Nizar Qabbani

This study explores the conceptualization of love metaphors and linguistic images in German-speaking and Arabic cultures. Using George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s metaphor theory, the analysis focuses on two poems: Nizar Qabbani’s ‘Worte’ and Ingeborg Bachmann’s ‘Erklär mir, Liebe.’ Both cultures perceive love between man and woman as challenging. Qabbani’s poem portrays it as an illusion, while Bachmann’s poem presents it as inexplicable. Interestingly, the metaphors used in the poems are universally understandable, transcending cultural boundaries. Both poems depict love through its absence, revealing a shared desire for romantic love. Bachmann’s poem features yearning for an erotic dream, while the Arabic poem lacks a sense of future prospects. These observations suggest culture-independent basic concepts within love metaphors.

Metaphors Realized in Narrative: A New Direction for Biblical Metaphor

ABSTRACTAn insight of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) is that metaphor is more than a mere literary device; it influences readers through cognitive connections. Yet biblical metaphors have most often been studied in poetic, theological contexts and within linguistic rhetorical devices like “YHWH is my shepherd.” In contrast, some of the most ideologically powerful metaphors are those that shape the Hebrew Bible's prose stories. These metaphors reify cultural constructs and experiences, making them seem “natural.” The study of realized metaphor—metaphor embodied as a literal narrative feature—offers a new pathway for applying CMT to narrative texts, even those without overt linguistic metaphors. This article surveys the history of realized metaphors in literary theory, then provides some brief examples of biblical texts where a CMT approach reveals metaphors embedded in the fabric of the narrative. It concludes with a challenge: how can we extend metaphor theory to the full range of biblical texts, poetry and prose alike, in order to understand how metaphor shapes human perception in the past and the present?

Impetus aestheticus. Baumgarten on Physics and Aesthetics

Abstract In this essay, I analyze the role of physics in Baumgarten’s founding of aesthetics. After examining for the first time his courses on physics and their relationship with aesthetics, I explore the importance of physical metaphors in the issues of aesthetic experiments and aesthetic enthusiasm, with special regard to the influence of Bacon, Boyle, and Leibniz’s doctrine of vis viva.

The Language of Grief: The Role of Conceptual Metaphors in Family Tributes of Ghanaian Funeral Ceremonies

Abstract This paper investigates the role of conceptual metaphors in the expression of grief by bereaved families during Ghanaian funeral ceremonies. Grief is a universal and inevitable response to loss or the anticipation of it, yet its manifestation varies among different cultures and individuals. In Ghanaian funeral ceremonies, tributes hold significant importance as they provide a platform for family members to publicly convey their emotions and memories associated with the deceased. Tribute texts gathered from twenty funeral brochures were analysed using the Pragglejaz Group’s Metaphor Identification Procedure (mip). The analysis revealed the utilisation of twelve distinct conceptual metaphors related to life and death, marriage, and memories and emotions. Two image metaphors about the deceased were also identified. The analysis reveals that families employ conceptual and image metaphors – to offer consolation, provide encouragement, express appreciation for the deceased’s life, engage in reminiscence, honour and celebrate the departed souls.

A COGNITIVE STUDY OF DRINK EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH PROVERBS

Conceptual Metaphor Theory represents the output of a cognitive process by which readers can understand one domain in terms of another. This study aims to investigate the use of drink proverbs in English from a cognitive point of view and investigate the role of metaphor in communication as an unconscious process in everyday life. Also, it aims to identify metaphor as a systematic process that does not occur randomly. It is considered as a problematic task for learners to understand, interpret, and render the exact conceptual meaning of English proverbs. The procedures of this study are as follows: Presenting a theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics and adopting the model of the conceptual metaphor theory which is Lakoff and Johnson's “Metaphor We Live by” (2003) to analyze proverbs of drink in English. Another two models are used to support the first one which are Newman's (1997) “Eating and Drinking as a Source of Metaphor in English” and Quirk et al (1985) “A Comprehensives Grammar of the English Language”. The study hypothesizes that the source and target domains in conceptual metaphors have a crucial role in understanding the meaning of drink proverbs in English. Concerning the levels of analysis, the present study deals with the semantic and grammatical levels. The data are collected from dictionaries that are associated with drink proverbs. Six samples are chosen for the analysis. In each sample, more than five items have been analyzed metaphorically and grammatically. The present study concluded that conceptual metaphors do not occur randomly and they are unconscious processes through conversations.