|
Metaphorical Conceptualization of Pandemics (Epidemics) in Scientific and Literary Works, with a Focus on the COVID-19 Pandemic.
|
Shahed Zandiehrad *  , Fatemeh Tabari |
| Iran University of Medical Siences, Tehran, Iran. |
|
|
Abstract: (35 Views) |
Objective: This study examines how pandemics are conceptualized through conceptual metaphors, metonymies, and synesthetic expressions in literary works and scholarly writings, to reveal shared cognitive mechanisms in representing disease and emotional experiences.
Method: Linguistic data were manually extracted from seven texts, including translated literary narratives on epidemics and academic essays on COVID-19. Using the framework of cognitive linguistics, all metaphorical and metonymic expressions were categorized based on major source domains such as ENEMY, HUMAN, LIVING BEING, and CONTAMINATION.
Results: Analysis shows that both literary and scientific texts rely on similar conceptual structures. The metaphors DISEASE IS AN ENEMY and DISEASE IS A HUMAN are most frequent, with the latter displaying the greatest diversity. Emotional and sensory metaphors—particularly those related to fear, pain, and distress—appear consistently across both corpora.
Conclusion: Pandemic conceptualization is shaped by stable and shared cognitive patterns across genres. Personification and war metaphors play a central role in making the abstract concept of disease comprehensible, underscoring the importance of using metaphors mindfully in public, medical, and media discourse.
|
|
| Keywords: Conceptual Metaphor, Conceptual Metonymy, Pandemic Discourse, Cognitive Linguistics, Literary Analysis |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 1481 kb]
(29 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/11/22 | Accepted: 2026/01/12 | Published: 2026/01/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
