Metaphorical Substitution in Some Selected Raheem Al-Gharbawi's Verses: A Linguistic Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol22.Iss2.1675Keywords:
Linguistic substitution, metaphorical substitution, lexical metaphor, grammatical metaphor, conceptual metaphor theoryAbstract
The paper examines metaphor as a linguistic substitution strategy in the poetry of Al-Garbawi, with respect to both its cognitive and structural roles. Based on Lakoff and Johnson’s theory (1980), this study tries to answer definite questions, such as: what metaphors does the poet Al-Gharbawi employ in his poetry to turn the abstract entities into tangible ones? and What does his use of metaphors add to the interpretation of human experience for readers? To achieve this, a qualitative approach is applied, and eight poetic verses are analyzed to identify lexical metaphors and to examine how they construct meaning through substitution. The analysis identifies three prevailing types of metaphors: structural, ontological, and orientational. According to the findings, the functioning of metaphor in Al-Garbawi's poems extends beyond a stylistic and metrical decoration to a thinking process that renders abstract experience tangible and vibrant in its manifestations and conceptually readable in general.
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