Volume 16, Issue 4 (2025)
LRR 2025, 16(4): 109-142 |
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Forghani Fard M, Raghibdoost S. Metaphorical Conceptualization of "Marriage" in Persian Based on Cultural Linguistics. LRR 2025; 16 (4) :109-142
URL: http://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-63064-en.html
URL: http://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-63064-en.html
1- PhD Candidate, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran ,neishabour@hotmail.com
2- Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran ,
Abstract: (2737 Views)
Investigating metaphorical conceptualizations and achieving cultural recognition of the speakers of a language community leads to a profound understanding of the culture that governs the society, and plays a significant role in the correct interpretation of discourses and improving intercultural relations. Based on Sharifian’s (2017) cultural linguistics approach and with a descriptive-analytical and corpus-driven method, this study has searched for metaphorical conceptualizations of "marriage" in Persian language. Ninety-eight hours of television debate programs prepared with the theme of marriage and the presence of young people were selected as the body of the research. To limit the scope of the research, three categories of "proposal", "engagement", and "marriage" were selected from the body, and then the schemas and cultural metaphors related to each category were examined. According to the findings, "Marriage is a struggle", "Marriage is a gamble", "Marriage is a partnership", "Marriage is a building", "Marriage is a path", "Marriage is a contract", "Marriage is a force" and "Marriage is a deal" are the most used metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage in Persian language, respectively. Although some of these metaphors have also been mentioned in similar studies in other languages, such as English and Chinese, the data analysis shows that the traces of culture in language expressions containing these metaphors in Persian language are quite evident. In other words, metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage in Persian clearly reflect the culture of marriage in the Persian-speaking society. The results of this study can be useful in social science research, providing and compiling Persian language teaching texts for non-Persian speakers and determining the policies and priorities of media productions.
1. Introduction
The study of language, cognition, and culture has long been a subject of interest to scholars across disciplines. With the advent of Cognitive Linguistics, metaphorical conceptualizations were recognized as cognitive patterns and as a fundamental aspect of human thought. Metaphorical conceptualization was introduced as a common mechanism in everyday language that conceptualizes abstract concepts into more tangible and concrete terms based on human experiences. Further studies in various languages showed that culture also has an inevitable impact on how metaphorical conceptualizations are conceptualized. The increasing attention to examining culture-based conceptualizations led to the emergence of "cultural linguistics" as a separate scientific branch within cognitive linguistics.
Previous cognitive research in Persian has often examined the metaphorical conceptualizations of emotions and feelings, or body parts, without considering the cultural component. In this study, the conceptual base of "marriage", an issue that nearly all speakers encounter and think about or discuss in some way, was chosen for a case study. The metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage, referred to as cultural metaphors within the framework of cultural linguistics, are extracted from a natural corpus of linguistic data. Since the cultural cognition of speakers in a language community is not limited to cultural metaphors, discussions around cultural categories and cultural schemas related to marriage were also examined as thoroughly as possible.
Research Question(s)
The study aims to reveal how metaphorical conceptualizations in Persian reflect Persian speakers' cultural model of thinking.
2. Literature Review
Numerous studies have delved into the linguistic and cultural facets of marriage. Quinn (1987) investigated the cultural marriage model in the United States, conducting interviews with couples during wedding ceremonies. Su (2002) explored marriage metaphors in authentic Chinese language data. Dunn (2004) analyzed speech acts in Japanese wedding ceremonies, drawing on metaphors from real-world contexts to uncover Japan's cultural marriage model. Singh (2014), within the framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, examined the conceptualization of human relationships in Hindi language. Owurasah (2015), utilizing Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, conducted a linguistic and stylistic analysis of language use in traditional Akan weddings, the largest ethnic group in Ghana. Kolosova et al. (2017) analyzed the concept of marriage in Russian language through the lens of linguoculturology. Dzhumalieva and Kasieva (2019) employed the tool of cultural scripts to examine the socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of wedding ceremonies in Kyrgyzstan. Based on Palmer's linguistic anthropology, Akbar et al. (2020) conducted a qualitative descriptive study of vocabulary related to marriage and its role in giving meaning to traditional marriage processes among the Sasaks, the largest ethnic group on the island of Lombok, Indonesia.
Based on the researcher’s findings, only Kusmanto (2016) has explored the underlying cultural cognition and cultural metaphors of marriage in the Indonesian language, drawing on Sharifian (2011). According to his findings, the two metaphors “marriage is a status” and “marriage is a stage” indicate that marriage in the Indonesian language is conceptualized as an elevated and respected social position. Other marriage metaphors in the Indonesian language include “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is a kingdom,” and “marriage is a voyage”.
In Persian, Ardabili and colleagues (2017) have administereded a study on the cultural conceptualization of marriage in Iran. Employing an ethnographic approach and semi-structured interviews, they extracted common marriage metaphors from the discourse of married women. Through the analysis of 20 interviews, they identified three conceptual metaphors: “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is a bond,” and “marriage is a business”.
3. Methodology
This research is a corpus-based analysis aimed at discovering cultural conceptualizations by decoding the linguistic usage of speakers. To ensure a more natural and authentic corpus, a combination of 98 hours of challenging television programs on marriage was selected. Unaware of being studied for metaphors, participants in such television programs express their views authentically. Furthermore, the corpus was augmented by incorporating online user comments about marriage in forums. The corpus included over 350 participants aged 20-35, with a balanced gender ratio in television programs. However, online forums like Ninisite showed a higher percentage of female participants.
This research employed a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate linguistic data from a corpus using the analytical tools developed in cultural linguistics (Sharifian, 2017). To narrow the scope of the analysis, three cultural categories related to the conceptual base of marriage—courtship, engagement, and marriage—were selected. Subsequently, cultural schemas and metaphors related to each category were manually identified and examined.
4. Results
This research employed a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate the metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage within the Persian language based on cultural linguistics. Analyzing 98 hours of television programs featuring young adults discussing marriage, the study identified key cultural schemas and metaphors related to courtship, engagement, and marriage categories.
The analysis of the “courtship” category revealed that two cultural schemas emerged more frequently within the corpus: “Courtship is inherently challenging and fraught with difficulties” and “Courtship is a period of anxiety and worry”. Furthermore, the cultural metaphor “courtship is a struggle” was identified as the most prevalent metaphorical conceptualization of courtship.
The cultural conceptualizations of “engagement” exhibited significant diversity and complexity. Diverging perspectives among couples and families regarding the quality and duration of the engagement period render this stage the most enigmatic aspect of the marriage discourse. Cultural schemas of engagement in Persian indicated that this stage of marriage is conceptualized as a period of getting to know each other, a period of limitations, and a period of self-presentation. “engagement is a journey” was the only prominent cultural metaphor of engagement in Persian.
A diverse array of cultural schemas pertaining to “marriage” were extracted from the corpus, emphasizing peace, balance, and harmony as the most prevalent. Although many couples conceptualized problems as an integral part of marital life, successful couples attributed the key to a fulfilling marriage to their ability to overcome, manage, or adapt to challenges. Metaphors such as “marriage is a gamble,” “marriage is a building,” “marriage is a partnership,” “marriage is a transaction,” “marriage is a contract,” “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is powerful and transformative,” and “marriage is a struggle” were among the most frequently occurring cultural metaphors in the corpus.
The most prevalent metaphor, "marriage as a struggle," highlights the significance placed on the institution of marriage and the efforts required to sustain it within Persian-speaking cultures. Similarly, the metaphor "marriage as a gamble," which aligns with findings from Chinese language research, underscores the perceived risk and uncertainty associated with marriage. However, unlike Chinese, Persian tends to emphasize the adverse outcomes of such a gamble, reflecting the cultural devaluation of gambling
1. Introduction
The study of language, cognition, and culture has long been a subject of interest to scholars across disciplines. With the advent of Cognitive Linguistics, metaphorical conceptualizations were recognized as cognitive patterns and as a fundamental aspect of human thought. Metaphorical conceptualization was introduced as a common mechanism in everyday language that conceptualizes abstract concepts into more tangible and concrete terms based on human experiences. Further studies in various languages showed that culture also has an inevitable impact on how metaphorical conceptualizations are conceptualized. The increasing attention to examining culture-based conceptualizations led to the emergence of "cultural linguistics" as a separate scientific branch within cognitive linguistics.
Previous cognitive research in Persian has often examined the metaphorical conceptualizations of emotions and feelings, or body parts, without considering the cultural component. In this study, the conceptual base of "marriage", an issue that nearly all speakers encounter and think about or discuss in some way, was chosen for a case study. The metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage, referred to as cultural metaphors within the framework of cultural linguistics, are extracted from a natural corpus of linguistic data. Since the cultural cognition of speakers in a language community is not limited to cultural metaphors, discussions around cultural categories and cultural schemas related to marriage were also examined as thoroughly as possible.
Research Question(s)
The study aims to reveal how metaphorical conceptualizations in Persian reflect Persian speakers' cultural model of thinking.
2. Literature Review
Numerous studies have delved into the linguistic and cultural facets of marriage. Quinn (1987) investigated the cultural marriage model in the United States, conducting interviews with couples during wedding ceremonies. Su (2002) explored marriage metaphors in authentic Chinese language data. Dunn (2004) analyzed speech acts in Japanese wedding ceremonies, drawing on metaphors from real-world contexts to uncover Japan's cultural marriage model. Singh (2014), within the framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, examined the conceptualization of human relationships in Hindi language. Owurasah (2015), utilizing Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, conducted a linguistic and stylistic analysis of language use in traditional Akan weddings, the largest ethnic group in Ghana. Kolosova et al. (2017) analyzed the concept of marriage in Russian language through the lens of linguoculturology. Dzhumalieva and Kasieva (2019) employed the tool of cultural scripts to examine the socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of wedding ceremonies in Kyrgyzstan. Based on Palmer's linguistic anthropology, Akbar et al. (2020) conducted a qualitative descriptive study of vocabulary related to marriage and its role in giving meaning to traditional marriage processes among the Sasaks, the largest ethnic group on the island of Lombok, Indonesia.
Based on the researcher’s findings, only Kusmanto (2016) has explored the underlying cultural cognition and cultural metaphors of marriage in the Indonesian language, drawing on Sharifian (2011). According to his findings, the two metaphors “marriage is a status” and “marriage is a stage” indicate that marriage in the Indonesian language is conceptualized as an elevated and respected social position. Other marriage metaphors in the Indonesian language include “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is a kingdom,” and “marriage is a voyage”.
In Persian, Ardabili and colleagues (2017) have administereded a study on the cultural conceptualization of marriage in Iran. Employing an ethnographic approach and semi-structured interviews, they extracted common marriage metaphors from the discourse of married women. Through the analysis of 20 interviews, they identified three conceptual metaphors: “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is a bond,” and “marriage is a business”.
3. Methodology
This research is a corpus-based analysis aimed at discovering cultural conceptualizations by decoding the linguistic usage of speakers. To ensure a more natural and authentic corpus, a combination of 98 hours of challenging television programs on marriage was selected. Unaware of being studied for metaphors, participants in such television programs express their views authentically. Furthermore, the corpus was augmented by incorporating online user comments about marriage in forums. The corpus included over 350 participants aged 20-35, with a balanced gender ratio in television programs. However, online forums like Ninisite showed a higher percentage of female participants.
This research employed a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate linguistic data from a corpus using the analytical tools developed in cultural linguistics (Sharifian, 2017). To narrow the scope of the analysis, three cultural categories related to the conceptual base of marriage—courtship, engagement, and marriage—were selected. Subsequently, cultural schemas and metaphors related to each category were manually identified and examined.
4. Results
This research employed a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate the metaphorical conceptualizations of marriage within the Persian language based on cultural linguistics. Analyzing 98 hours of television programs featuring young adults discussing marriage, the study identified key cultural schemas and metaphors related to courtship, engagement, and marriage categories.
The analysis of the “courtship” category revealed that two cultural schemas emerged more frequently within the corpus: “Courtship is inherently challenging and fraught with difficulties” and “Courtship is a period of anxiety and worry”. Furthermore, the cultural metaphor “courtship is a struggle” was identified as the most prevalent metaphorical conceptualization of courtship.
The cultural conceptualizations of “engagement” exhibited significant diversity and complexity. Diverging perspectives among couples and families regarding the quality and duration of the engagement period render this stage the most enigmatic aspect of the marriage discourse. Cultural schemas of engagement in Persian indicated that this stage of marriage is conceptualized as a period of getting to know each other, a period of limitations, and a period of self-presentation. “engagement is a journey” was the only prominent cultural metaphor of engagement in Persian.
A diverse array of cultural schemas pertaining to “marriage” were extracted from the corpus, emphasizing peace, balance, and harmony as the most prevalent. Although many couples conceptualized problems as an integral part of marital life, successful couples attributed the key to a fulfilling marriage to their ability to overcome, manage, or adapt to challenges. Metaphors such as “marriage is a gamble,” “marriage is a building,” “marriage is a partnership,” “marriage is a transaction,” “marriage is a contract,” “marriage is a journey,” “marriage is powerful and transformative,” and “marriage is a struggle” were among the most frequently occurring cultural metaphors in the corpus.
The most prevalent metaphor, "marriage as a struggle," highlights the significance placed on the institution of marriage and the efforts required to sustain it within Persian-speaking cultures. Similarly, the metaphor "marriage as a gamble," which aligns with findings from Chinese language research, underscores the perceived risk and uncertainty associated with marriage. However, unlike Chinese, Persian tends to emphasize the adverse outcomes of such a gamble, reflecting the cultural devaluation of gambling
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