Exploring Metaphorical Conceptualizations Involving the Source Domain Up/Down in Iranian Cinema: A Case Study of the Films 'Dancing in the Dust' and 'Fireworks Wednesday'

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages and Linguistics Department, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

3 Shiraz University

Abstract

The pervasive presence of metaphorical conceptualizations in human everyday life has long been a subject of interest for cognitive linguistics researchers. This study investigates the use of the source domain “up/down” in a multimodal medium like cinema, drawing upon Lakoff and Johnson's (1980a, 2003) conceptual metaphor theory, Forceville's (2006, 2008, and 2016) theory of pictorial and multimodal metaphors, and Kövecses's (2020) views on visual metaphors. The goal is to explore the application of orientational metaphors with this source domain not only in verbal but also in visual forms. To achieve this, the Persian-language feature films, “Dancing in the Dust” and “Fireworks Wednesday,” were analyzed. The findings reveal that the filmmaker employs visual representations of up/down concepts as a metaphorical source domain to convey abstract concepts through conceptual metaphors. In both films, these metaphors are often employed solely in the visual mode to ensure the audience's unconscious understanding of the characters' abstract situations. The widespread presence of conceptual metaphors related to this source domain in Persian-language films indicates their inherent familiarity and primacy in the minds of Iranian viewers, allowing directors to frequently use them for character development and plot progression, and effectively convey their intended messages which the audience likely grasps subconsciously.

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References

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Journal of Iranian Dialects & Linguistics
Volume 9, Issue 1
October 2024
Pages 161-182

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History

  • Receive Date: 11 July 2024
  • Revise Date: 04 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 20 July 2024

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