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Conceptual Metaphor In Online News: A Case Study Of Iraq's

Political Situation

by

Saad Saleem Shakir

Prof. Mohammed S. Negm

Professor of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts -Tanta University

Dr. Amal Hamza

Lecturer in English Literature, Faculty of Arts - Tanta University

Abstract:

The function of Metaphor has been developed from being an

aesthetic tool that depends on comparisons and hyperboles into a
mechanism that conveys the author's ideas and beliefs. As life
moves towards more practical and materialistic approaches, the
aesthetic role of a metaphor becomes more practical. In this
regard, the present study aims at highlighting and the use of
cognitive metaphor in the Iraqi political context in media. The study
highlights and analyzes the main aspects and elements of
cognitive metaphors in Iraqi political discourse in media. In this
regard, the study adopts an analytical approach for defining and
analyzing the aspects of cognitive metaphors adopted in the Iraqi
political discourse in different media sources. In addition, the study
presents a quantitative part that introduces a statical study of the
use of cognitive metaphor in the Iraqi political discourse in media.

Keywords: metaphor, types conceptual metaphor, cognitive,

political discourse, media in Iraq
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Part One: Introduction

The problem of the Study

Generally speaking, the concept of "metaphor" is a pervasive

mode of understanding by which we project from one domain of
experience to structure another domain of a different kind. So
conceived, metaphor is not merely a linguistic mode of expression;
rather it is one of the chief cognitive structures by which we can
have the coherent, ordered experience that we can reason about
and make sense of. (Johnson 1987:xiii-xiv).

Aims of study

This study aims at identifying and defining the importance of

metaphor in English, especially in online news. Showing the most
recurring type of conceptual metaphor in online news.

The Procedures of the Study

The procedures followed in this study are:

A brief account is given to the language of some selected articles

on the online sites

particularly the online news.

The theoretical background of the conceptual theory and

metaphor its classification and types.

Analysis of the data and followed by the findings of the analytical

chapter are presented.

A statistical analysis of the collected data will be presented.

findings are drawn to test the validity of the hypothesis of the

present work.

Significance of Study

The value of the current study can be reflected as in the following:

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1. This study will be advantageous for researchers, linguists, and
students. The current work is meant to be beneficial to learners,
teachers, linguists as well as researchers examining the area of
linguistics.

2. The study presents a good guideline for researchers in the field

of linguistics in general. It can enrich her/his knowledge of the
linguistic view about the conceptual metaphor in some selected
political articles of online news.

Definitions of the Basic Terms:

1- Metaphor: Basic Concepts:

There are so many definitions of metaphor in English linguistics;

this notion is complex, it can vary from a school of language to
another and from a language to another. Lakoff and Johnson
(2003:3-4) state that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not
just in language but in thought and action (i.e. It is a property of
concepts and not words). The idea investigated by cognitive
linguistics referring to metaphor is the meaning that the humans
recognize in a language is primarily based on semantics concepts.

Lakoff (1993) also emphasizes the conceptual nature of metaphor

and its hierarchical structure. He argues that metaphor as

a phenomenon involves both conceptual mappings and individual

linguistic expression. It is important to keep them distinct since it is
the mappings that are primary and that state the generalizations
that are our principal concern. For Lakoff metaphor can be
understood as a mapping (in the mathematical sense) from a
source domain (love) to a target domain (journey). The mapping is
tightly structured. There are ontological correspondences
according to which entities in the domain of love ( e.g. the lovers,
their common goals, their difficulties, the love relationship, etc.)
correspond systematically to entities in the domain of a journey
(the travelers, the vehicle, destinations, etc.) (ibid: 4).

Mappings are at the superordinate rather than the basic level. For
example, in LOVE IS A JOURNEY mapping, a love relationship
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corresponds to a vehicle. A vehicle is a superordinate category
that includes such basic level categories as car, train, boat, and
plane. It is worth noting that the examples of vehicles are typically
drawn from this range of basic-level categories: car (long bumpy
road, spinning our wheels), train (off the track), boat (on the rocks,
foundering), plane (just taking off, bailing out), It is the
superordinate category VEHICLE, not the basic level category
CAR that is the general mapping. Thus, the generalization is at the
super-ordinate level, while the special cases are at the basic level
(Lakoff, 1993:8; Lakoff,1993:6).

2- Types of Conceptual Metaphor:

Conceptual metaphor theory can be classified according to the

cognitive functions that metaphors perform. On this basis, three
general types of conceptual metaphors have been distinguished:
structural metaphors, ontological metaphors, and orientational
metaphors.

A. Structural Metaphor:

Lakoff and Johnson (2003:14) refer to structural metaphor as

''cases where one concept is metaphorically structured in terms of
another''. In this kind of metaphor; Kovecses (2002:3) claims that
the source domain provides a relatively rich knowledge structure
for the target concept. In other words, the cognitive function of this
type is to enable speakers to understand the target (A) domain
using the structure source( B) domain. Knowles and Moon
(2006:17) illustrate that the source domains in this type of
metaphor supply framework for target domains and this will
determine how we think and talk about abstract entities and
activities to which the target domain refers. This process is
understanding as conceptual mappings between elements of (A)
and elements of (B). For example, the concept of Time is
structured according to Motion.

-TIMES ARE MOTION.

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One can understand the term "time" as the following element,
physical objects, their locations, and their motion. Hence the
following mapping will take place as follows:

-You are wasting my time.

-Times are things.

-The passing of time is motion.

-This gadget will save you hours.

B. Ontological Metaphor:

Ontological metaphors provide much less cognitive structuring for

the target concepts than structural ones do. Lakoff and

Johnson(2003:25-26) states that ' ontological metaphors arise

when our experience of physical objects and substance provides a
further basis knowledge for understanding concrete ones'.
Understanding our experiences in terms of objects and substances
allows us to pick out parts of our experience and treat them as
discrete entities or substances entities or substances of a uniform
type. The cognitive job of this type is seeming to give an
ontological status to general categories of abstract target concepts
( i.e. we conceive our experiences in terms of objects, substances,
and containers in general without specifying exactly what kind of
object, Substances and container are meant).

Thus, ontological metaphors explain abstract notions such as

time, ideas, inflation, and emotion in terms of objects and
substances. The conceptual metaphor such as:

-INFLATION IS AN ENTITY.

-Inflation is lowering our standard of living.

- If there is much more inflation, we will never survive.

-We need to combat inflation.

- Inflation is hacking us into a corner.

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- Our biggest enemy right now is inflation.

- EMOTIONAL STATES ARE CONTAINERS.

- She is in love.

-We are out of trouble can be now.

- He is coming out of a coma.

- He fell into a depression.

Li (2010:207) Personification can be considered as a form of

ontological metaphor. In

personification, human qualities are given to non-human entities

personification is very common in literature, but it also abounds in
everyday communication such as:

-Life has cheated me.

- His theory explains to me the behavior of chickens raised in

factories.

Theory and life are given qualities of human beings such as

explaining and cheating( Lakoff and Johnson,2003:33).

C. Orientational Metaphors:

They are the metaphorical use of a word with their semantic

concepts 'directionality' and 'specialization' where this type
organizes metaphors of the many concepts, the one with the other,
in the form of the concepts that indicate the place, as in the
following examples: -

- Don't force your meanings into the wrong words.

- Can you extract coherent ideas from that prose?

The words that are used indicate directionality and specialization

which are borrowed here in the abstract expressions of the lingual
that have nothing to do with the place at all. These words are all
included within the conceptual framework:
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- Linguistic expressions are containers.

Part Two: Theoretical Framework:

Zoltan Kovecses (2010) defines "conceptual metaphor" as

understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another
conceptual domain in the context of cognitive linguistic view (p. 4).
According to this definition, a conceptual metaphor is a kind of
thinking or conceptualization. It is basically about two entities or
domains: Source domain and Target domain. Source domain is a
concept domain used through metaphorical expression to
understand another conceptual domain (Target domain).

The Concept of Cognition:

Cognitive linguistics is an interdisciplinary branch of linguistics,

combining knowledge and research from cognitive psychology,
neuropsychology, and linguistics. Models and theoretical accounts
of cognitive linguistics are considered psychologically real, and
research in cognitive linguistics aims to help understand cognition
in general and is seen as a road into the human mind. There has
been scientific and terminological controversy around the label
'cognitive linguistics'; there is no consensus on what specifically is
meant by the term. The term 'cognition is widely used by
philosophers and linguists who have drawn skeletons on this field
of study. It deals with the connection between concepts and the
rules of their use that have not yet been broadly discovered.
(Robinson, 2008:8).

Cognitive Linguistics:

Cognitive linguistics (henceforth, CL) is a modern school of

linguistics and thought that emerged in the late 1960 and early
1970s in the appearance of cognitive science, especially in the
works related to human 'categorization', early work of traditional
researches Gestalt psychology'. CL is concerned with investigating
the relationship between language, mind, and sociophysical
experience (Evans,2007:vi).
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CL is an approach to the study of language which is based upon
human perception and conceptualization of the world. During the
twentieth century, the most influential approach to the study of
language has been structuralism: linguists have largely devoted
themselves to the purely structural aspects of language systems
themselves, such as sound systems and grammatical systems.

There are two major tendencies of cognitive linguistics that draw

upon semantics, the first one identifies the structure inside the
cognitive construction; while the other replaces the idea of two-
step models (Keller, 1998: 69).

The theories of cognitive linguistics generally, hold entities of

perception, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, intentions; one of these
theories suggested by Fauconnier (1985) involves:

1. Mental spaces.

2. Cognitive models that structure those spaces.

A mental space is a medium for conceptualization and thought.

Spaces are conceptualized in nature. They are not a kind of thing
based on the relationship between symbols and things in the real
world, but there are dynamic integration processes that build up
new blended mental spaces (i.e., conceptual blending) (Lakoff,
1987: 281).

Sub-Approaches of Cognitive Linguistics:

CL, in general, represents an approach to study the relationship

between language, mind, cognition and the external world. CL
helps us understand what cognitive processes mean. It is an
approach of the language which is divided into sub-approaches
cognitive grammar and cognitive semantics. These two sub-
approaches can be represented in the following figure:
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Cognitive Linguistics

Cognitive Grammar Cognitive Semantics

Figure: (1) Sub-approaches of Cognitive Linguistic ( Adopted

from Evans and Green, 2006:50).

Cognitive Grammar:

The first one who suggests a theory called cognitive grammar

(hence forth CG) is Ronald. W. Langaker in (1987,1991). CG has
a highest effect on cognitive theory. The theory of cognitive
grammar considers grammar as a symbolic system like semantics,
morphology and syntax. There are no differences between
grammar and semantics because both of grammatical
categorization and meaning construction related to a symbolic
system. CG differs from traditional and structural grammar
because it considers grammar as conceptual structures. Many
cognitive linguists give attention to the linguistic sign that is found
in semantics, morphology, and analysze them in mapping
correspondence, but only Langaker sheds the light on grammar by
considering it to be like other conceptual systems
(Saeed,2003:374).

Evans and Green (2006:501) define CG as our linguistic

knowledge 'the mental grammar' which exists in the speaker's
mind "as lists of symbolic units, these symbolic units are not built
structurally into language system, but are stored and accessed as
a whole". These symbolic units are built on speaker's grammar as
conventional phenomenon which has a strong relationship with
the linguistic expressions, especially when they are shared be a
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certain group community. When these symbolic units are related to
each other, another relation that is known as a network appears.

Cognitive Semantics:

Cognitive semantics (henceforth, CS) is defined as "a branch of

cognitive linguistics which assumes that language is a mental
ability which is sub- structured by certain forms of knowledge".
Many semanticists see that language must have a relation with
cognition in order to have sense and meaning. Thus, knowledge
cannot be isolated from cognition because linguistic knowledge is
a part of cognition. Meaning in CS is based on conventionalized
conceptual structure, thus mental categories which people have
shaped from their experience of an external world are reflected by
cognitive domain to contain the semantic structure
(Saeed,2003:342).

Image schema Theory:

Image schema has been developed within cognitive semantics to

be the most influential area for studying psychological
developments and the development of an embodied cognitive
thesis. (Evans and Green,2006:177).

Evans and Green (2006:185) give brief but sufficient difference

between image schema and mental image, by giving example
"close your eyes and imagine your father or mother) the image that
appears when you close you are in the mental image because it
has a strong relationship with reality result from conscious
cognitive experiences and recalling for 'visual memory, while the
image schema was more abstract found in our embodied
experiences that meant we cannot imagine it. Saad (2003:353-
354) defines image schema as the central conceptual structure of
cognitive semantics. The most important idea of image schema is
to structure our experience, acting, and being in the world,
exercising our force and moving of our bodies all these functions
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depend on the conceptual structure which organizes our thought
through a more abstract domain. He gives certain examples of
image schema as follows:

1- Containment schema which drives from our everyday

experience, considering our bodies as the container of our
emotions, thought, and ideas. Our experience becomes as
physically located within bounded locution like room, bed,..etc.
Lakoff and Johnson (2003: ) conceder image schema as an
ontological metaphor (non-physical phenomenon describe in a
physical one. The example below by Saad will describe this type
clearly " I put a lot of energy into washing the window"

Energy (non-physical or abstract term) understand by (physical or

visual term) window.

2- Path schema: Saad mentions that this example of image

schema is used for experiencing the movements of entities stored
in our mind reflecting our daily activities and how these activities
moving in the world. Any path must have a starting point and
ending point the space between these points known as a path.

A -----------------------B

Path

The relation between A and B are as follows: a- A and B are

interacted by series of neighboring location, getting from A to B is
moving through intermediate locution. b-Path tends to be related
with direction movement along with A from B. c – A and B are
related to each other by time and temporal sequence.

3- Force schema is like other types of image schema that grew

inside us since childhood, rising from everyday experience,
surrounding our environment, and interacts with animate and
animate entities. Shaping from our linguistic categories. All these
examples of image schema are considered as pre-linguistics
phenomena.
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To sum up, image schema is part of our perceptual system
depends on our experience of the physical world, some
semanticists consider it as part of the pre-linguistic phenomenon,
because it considers as the outcome of our interaction of external
world, it gives coherence and helps us to understand different
concepts in our minds.

Conceptual Metaphor Theory:

Johnson (1987:69) points out that despite the dominance of the

objectivist orientation in the Western philosophical tradition, there
have been notable voices of the opposition who have claimed for
metaphor a serious, creative, and constitutive role.

It was until the twentieth century when I. A. Richards (1936)

initiated a revival of interest in metaphor by arguing that thought is
irreducibly metaphorical and that linguistic metaphors are
manifestations of these underlying metaphoric thought processes.
In reviving the study of metaphor, I . A. Richards offered a
terminology that has become widely accepted in talking about
metaphor. According to him, metaphor consists of two terms (topic
and vehicle) and the relation between them (ground). The notion of
tension is also introduced by Richards to describe the literal
incompatibility of the topic and vehicle (Gibbs, 1994:211).

Part Three: Discourse Analysis in The Context of Conceptual

Metaphor

Iraq is a well-established country with a long and fascinating

history. The last three decades witnessed many political and
military events that changed the political scene in Iraq. The First
and Second Gulf War, the American Invasion in 2003, and the
fierce political situation have made up a complicated political
situation in Iraq. This complicated political situation has a great
impact on media. The Iraqi political scene has largely been
introduced in the media. This attributes the Iraqi political discourse
to many cultural and linguistic features. One of the remarkable
linguistic and cultural phenomena that distinguish the political
discourse associated with Iraq in media is a metaphor.
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Using cognitive metaphors in the Iraqi political discourse in media
raises an important question: Are cognitive metaphors regarded as
a linguistic or figurative device when they are used in the political
discourse? Modern use of Cognitive metaphors highlights the
flexibility of metaphors as a multi-device that can be used as a
literary device that introduces ideas in terms of comparisons and
hyperboles, besides the linguistic usage of metaphor as a
mechanism through which the author ∕ content maker can
introduce his ideas and thoughts.

In this regard, this part has two major parts. The first part of this
chapter discusses the main elements of the political discourse,
especially in media through discussing and analyzing the main
elements of both media language and political discourse. In
addition, this part clarifies the connections between media
language and conceptual metaphor besides discussing media
language usage of conceptual metaphor. This part discusses the
importance of using cognitive metaphor in the titles and headlines
of media as the gate through which the reader/audience receives
the content. Furthermore, this part elaborates the modern usage of
cognitive metaphor as a linguistic element rather than the
rhetorical element.

The second part of this chapter employs a statical approach for

defining and analyzing the most used types of conceptual
metaphors. Furthermore, it analyzes and investigates the use of
cognitive metaphors in each type of media highlighting the impact
of using cognitive metaphors within the piece of media itself.
Moreover, this part connects the metaphorical expression either
negative or positive to the political discourse and its purpose.

Media language is regarded as one of the most elements of media

as a product that has a specific function to that communicate
meanings to receivers either readers or audiences. These
meanings include a wide range of terms including visual codes,
audio codes, technical codes, and language. However, still, the
element of language is the most important part of media as it
represents the verbal element that decodes and illustrates all other
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visual and auditory elements. Here, it is necessary to define the
term media first to be able to discuss and analyze media language.
Media, generally, represents various methods of communications
that convey a certain message to receivers. These methods
include many verbal and visual devices such as radio,
newspapers, the Internet, and television (Martinec, p.20, 2020)

Political Discourse

Before discussing the use of cognitive metaphor in the Iraqi

political scene in media, it is necessary to define and analyze the
main aspects of the political discourse. Two main theoretical
concepts can define and analyze the political discourse. The two
concepts are set by Paul Chilton (2004) in his book, Analysing
Political Discourse: Theory and Practice. The first concept set by
Chilton the context which is discussed in terms of "a struggle for
power'' between two parties: the first party aims to keep their
power and enlarge it, whereas the second party stays against the
first party to gain "some" or "all" of this power (2004, p.3). In the
Iraqi political context, this definition can be noticed through the
First Gulf War, Second Gulf War, and the American Invasion
(2003).

The best words that describe that connection between media,

linguistics, and political discourse are Wodak's (2009) as she
mentions:

Political discourse includes different genres such as political

speeches, press conferences, interviews with politicians, reports
on different political events in the press, and since politics includes
persuasion, rhetoric, and delusive devices, politicians employ
different discursive strategies to achieve their goals. ( qtd. in
Stojan, p. 70, 2019).

Thus, Wodak (2009) argues that political discourse is the

discourse that communicates a message to the receiver through
different political genre Borčić, Kanižaj & Kršul, 2016 argues that
political discourse is interrelated to many various genres. One of
these genres is persuasion that is defined as an area of linguist
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studies and politics it plays the most important part in shaping the
political discourse features.

In this regard, the elements of persuasion are very important in

shaping all political discourse. In other words, language is a very
important element in poetic discourse. Persuasion is the main tool
through which a politician can convey his point of view in the
political discourse. Persuasion can be achieved through language
that has three main Aristotelian elements: 1) logos or logic; 2)
ethos or ethic; and 3) pathos or emotion (Braet, 1992, p.310).

Cognitive metaphor, media, and politics:

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary field that studies the

human mind and its processes (Thagard 1996). Cognitive science
testifies and analyzes the nature, missions, and tools of cognition.
In other words, it is associated with how the human mind conveys
messages. Many linguists and cognitive scholars assert the
connection between political theory and conceptual metaphor in
both political and linguistic areas.

In this context, the scholar of this approach of linguistics aim at

highlighting and focusing on the way through which an idiom can
make up the Conceptual metaphors; however, actual grammar,
besides the basic cross-cultural elements of the scientific approach
aimed at minimizing the influence of cognitive metaphors,
especially in scientific and political areas. This claim is made due
to the aesthetic and imaginative impact of metaphors in any text.

Lakoff rejects the concept of " Natural language semantics that is

defined according to mathematical logic" (Davidson & Harman,
2012, p. 772 ). The concept of "generative grammar|" set
developed by Chomsky did not discuss and analyze the concept
metaphor logically as a part of the science of semantics as it is
discussed and analyzed as a part of grammar (Kratzer & Heim
1998). Thus, Lakoff asserts that this grammatical element makes
"artifice out of natural language and is therefore untenable."
(Paulson, 2019, p.46).
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Conceptual Metaphors in the Titles and Headlines of media in
Iraqi's Political Scene:

The title is the gate through which the media is presented to the
receiver. Modern and recent theories highlight the role of the title in
introducing the discourse to the reader/audience. That is why the
title is responsible for making up the reader/author or
sender/receiver relationship. The French theorist, Gérard Genette
argues that the title is one of two pillars of the text (the paratext).
(1991, p.262). In terms, of cognitive metaphor, the titles of the
samples either texts, videos, or online websites showed heavy use
of cognitive metaphor. This use reflects the importance of cognitive
metaphor as a linguistic and intellectual tool in shaping the title as
the gate of the text. That is to say, most examples clarify that titles
and headlines have the largest share of using cognitive
metaphors. The importance of titles and headlines in the political
discourse and media language can be described as Chen argues:

A headline is the refining of a news report. An audience of

traditional media often firstly look at the news headline to make
sure whether they would like to go on reading the content of the
news report. If time is limited, they would select news to read
according to the headline of it. In this information technology era,
only when a reader is interested in the news headline, will he click
the link to read the whole news report? Therefore, to attract
readers to read the news report to an extreme, to have an
important impact on the spreading efficiency of news, an author
will adopt a variety of approaches to make the headline more vivid.
Metaphor is one of the most frequently used rhetorical devices to
enhance the effect of expression and efficiency of spreading
(Chen, 2018 p.327).

Thus, titles and headlines contain more conceptual metaphors

than any other part of the piece of media as they either represent
the portable that the reader will receive the message through it; or
the reader will only read the headline and neglect the other parts of
the piece of media. Here, the following examples highlight the
importance of using cognitive metaphors in titles and headlines:
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"Where does Iraq fall in the US administration policy?" (Middle
East Monitor 2020)

Iraq War - 9 April 2003: The fall of Baghdad (RFI English YouTube
channel 2020)

The Fall of Saddam and Rise of ISIS (Foreign Policy Association

YouTube Channel, Dec 22, 2015)

Iraq/Kuwait - Saddam Retains Leadership (Jul 21, 2015, APA)

"15 years after Saddam's fall, Iraqi hopes fade" (AFP News
Agency, Apr 6, 2018)

"EU moves to remove Iraq from high-risk countries list" (Arab

News, Updated 12 January 2021)

Most of these examples which are mentioned in the titles and

headlines in much online news (samples) highlight a heavy use of
the "ontological" cognitive metaphor. The use of the expression
"fall" is used for highlighting the defeat of Iraq or the defeat of
Saddam Hussein. The concept of "fall" is an iconic metaphorical
expression which mainly associated with the idea of fallen angels
derived from the Book of Enoch, a Jewish pseudepigraph (Kaske,
1971, p.426). In addition, in terms of metaphorical aspect, and
from an archetypal point of view, the expression of "fall" is pictured
as decadence, loss, or dying stage (Cobb 1992) The main object
of using ontological conceptual metaphor is to depicting the
experience of Iraq or Saddam as a physical object that fall. In other
words, these headlines conceptualize the experience of Sadam or
Iraq through the means of structural metaphor.

The Use Of Cognitive Metaphor In The Body Of Media In The

Iraqi's Political Context:

The use of cognitive metaphor in media in the Iraqi political scene

news is not only related to the titles and headlines, but it
penetrates each part of the political news text. For example, the
following pieces of news highlight the use of cognitive metaphor in
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media language of texts that are associated with the Iraqi political
scene:

The Long Game in Iraq

How to Counter Iranian Influence in Baghdad…. (Robert S. Ford

and Randa Slim

September 30, 2019)

The above-mentioned cognitive metaphor is very familiar in the

domain of politics. The political conflicts are always depicted as a
"game." Both politics and sports share the element of "conflict."
Thus, depicting a political situation as a "game" is the common
cognitive metaphor that clarifies the author's thoughts using his
style and ideas.

Conclusion

The metaphor was known as a rhetorical device that depends on

comparisons; however, the modern use of metaphor has
transformed this literary device into a linguistic device that
represents thoughts and ideas. Most modern definitions of
metaphor agree that metaphor is thoughts, ideas, and actions.
Conceptual metaphor is a type of metaphor that touches everyday
language. Cognitive metaphor has three main types: 1) structural
metaphors; 2) ontological metaphors; 3) and orientational
metaphors. All these forms depend on the function through which
the target domain is associated with the source domain to convey
a certain thought.

Culture and metaphor are related to each other as the metaphor

will never be understood without considering the cultural
background of the source and target domain.

The study argues that cognition, as the main drive of cognitive

metaphor, shapes organizes the approaches that humans think
and produce their language. In terms of linguistics and cognition,
 0202 ‫ لسنة‬44 ‫العدد‬ ‫المجلة العلمية بكلية اآلداب‬
language is considered a mirror of human cognition because
cognition is considered the source of the data that connect the
human mind to the outer world.

In linguistic studies, cognitive linguistics is divided into two main

categories: cognitive grammar and cognitive semantics. Cognitive
linguistics asserts that cognitive grammar, cognitive semantics,
and lexicon are on a continuum rather than separate processes
altogether. Many theories analyze and interpret the concept of
metaphor. Image schema theory has been developed within
cognitive semantics depends on the psychological approach
through investigating the difference between image schema and
mental image. Unlike image schema theory, mental space theory
argues that "discourse "is the subclass of different mental spaces
including what is called "counterparts and connectors". The
modern approach of cognitive metaphor asserts the linguistic
function of metaphor, unlike the traditional approaches that regard
metaphors as a mere literary device.

There are four main traditions of classifications of cognitive

metaphors. According to the cognitive function, there are three
categories of cognitive metaphors: structural, oncological, and
orientational. The second classification is set according to
conventionality: dead and alive cognitive metaphor. The third
classification depends on the generality of the metaphor. This
classification divides cognitive metaphors into general and specific.
The last traditional classification divides cognitive metaphor into
two main categories: universal and culturally specific.

Generally, the study has asserted the remarkable use of cognitive

metaphor in the media language that is associated with the Iraqi
political scene. Cognitive metaphors in the Iraqi political scene
asserted the modern use of metaphor as a linguistic device for
conveying ideas and thoughts. This modern use eliminated the
traditional use of metaphor as a rhetorical device utilized in literary
discourse.

The study has asserted that titles and headlines use cognitive
metaphor as a linguistic device for paving the way for the author ∕
 0202 ‫ لسنة‬44 ‫العدد‬ ‫المجلة العلمية بكلية اآلداب‬
content maker's ideas and thoughts. The use of cognitive
metaphor in titles and headlines emphasizes the modern use of
metaphor as a method for conveying thoughts and ideas rather
than a figurative device. In addition, the study has elaborated that
most cognitive metaphors analyzed in the study used politics as a
target domain, whereas they used different common domains as a
source such as sports, journeys, and roads.

The study has divided cognitive metaphors into a new category

that is associated with the idea of the author∕content maker. This
category divides cognitive metaphors into three types: positive,
negative, and neutral. Positive cognitive metaphor conveys
positive expressions. A negative metaphor conveys negative ideas
and expressions. Neutral metaphors convey the author's ideas
without giving positive or negative implications. As the study,
discusses and analyzes the Iraqi political discourse that has
always been associated with political conflicts, wars, and the
American invasion, most cognitive metaphors were negative.

As a final point, the study suggests further studies that are

associated with cognitive metaphors as cognitive metaphors in
translation may be a very interesting topic in the translation studies
arena due to metaphor's connection to cultural aspects, especially
in translation. In addition, more studies are needed to discuss and
analyze the modern concept of metaphor that deals with metaphor
as a linguistic device rather than a literary device.

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 ‫العدد ‪ 44‬لسنة ‪0202‬‬ ‫المجلة العلمية بكلية اآلداب‬
‫االستعارة المفاهيمية في المقاالت االخبارية مع التطبيق على الوضع السياسي في العراق‬

‫إعداد‪/‬‬

‫سعد سليم شاكر‬

‫ا‪ .‬د محمد سعيد نجم‬

‫أستاذ اللغوٌات كلٌة اآلداب‪ -‬جامعة طنطا‬

‫د‪ .‬امل حمزة‬

‫مدرس األدب اإلنجلٌزي كلٌة اآلداب‪ -‬جامعة طنطا‬

‫المستخلص‪:‬‬

‫تهدف الدراسة إلً مناقشة وتحلٌل استخدام االستعارة المفاهٌمٌة فً المقاالت االخبارٌة مع‬
‫التطبٌق على الوضع السٌاسً فً العراق حٌث تناولت الدراسة األنواع المختلفة من االستعارة‬
‫المفاهٌمٌة المستخدمة فً اإلعالم لمناقشة الوضع السٌاسً فً العراق‪.‬و تناقش الدراسة اإلدراك‬
‫‪ ,‬باعتباره المحرك الرئٌسً لالستعارة المعرفٌة الذي ٌنظم األشكال التً ٌفكر بها البشر‬
‫وٌنتجون لغتهم‪ .‬أكدت الدراسة علً استخدام االستعارة المفاهٌمٌة كأحد الوسائل اللغوٌة الهامة‬
‫المستخدمة فً اإلعالم السٌاسً لمناقشة الوضع السٌاسً فً العراق‪ .‬ومن هنا أكدت الدراسة‬
‫علً االستخدام الحدٌث لالستعارة حٌث تستخدم كأداة لغوٌة لنقل األفكار و الصراعات ال كأداة‬
‫لخلق المقارنات فً األعمال األدبٌة‪ .‬وتقدم الدراسة جزءًا إحصائٌا ً لمناقشة و تحلٌل أكثر أنواع‬
‫االستعارة المفاهٌمٌة استخداما ً فً النص السٌاسً اإلعالمً الذي ٌناقش الوضع السٌاسً فً‬
‫العراق‪ .‬واعتمدت الدراسة نهجً ا ثاب ًتا ٌشهد وٌحلل أنواعًا مختلفة من العٌنات‪ ,‬مثل األخبار عبر‬
‫اإلنترنت والمقاالت عبر اإلنترنت والصحف وغٌرها‪ .‬لقد أوضحت هذه العٌنات أن المقاالت‬
‫السٌاسٌة استخدمت االستعارات المعرفٌة بشكل كبٌر‪ .‬وخلصت الدراسة الً أنه تم استخدام‬
‫االستعارات الوجودٌة على نطاق أوسع من االستعارات المعرفٌة التوجٌهٌة والهٌكلٌة وذلك‬
‫لقوتها وفعالٌتها فً توصٌل األفكار وكذلك مالئمتها لالستخدام الحدٌث لالستعارة المفاهٌمٌة‬
‫كوسٌلة لنقل األفكار واألفكار بدالً من كونها أداة تصوٌرٌة‪ .‬وخلصت الدراسة الً االستخدام‬
‫الهام و الممٌز لالستعارة المفاهٌمٌة فً االعالم الخاص بالخطاب السٌاسً فً العراق والذي أكد‬
‫علً االستخدام الحدٌث لالستعارة المفاهٌمٌة كوسٌلة لنقل األفكار و امكانٌة استخدامها فً‬
‫الخطاب السٌاسً و اإلعالمً‪.‬‬

‫الكلمات اإلفتتاحٌة‪ :‬استعارة ‪ ,‬أنواع استعارة مفاهٌمٌة ‪ ,‬معرفً ‪ ,‬خطاب سٌاسً ‪ ,‬إعالم فً‬
‫العراق‬