Exploring Metaphorical Cancers in Arabic

In Arabic, the metaphoricity of cancer disease has received some research, particularly from the perspective of a target domain. However, cancer from the perspective of a source domain awaits systematic analysis. To fill this gap, this paper has the following aims: 1) To explore the types of phenomena that correspond to cancer as a metaphor in Arabic from the perspective a source domain; and 2) To discuss the factors that might influence and/or sustain the use of cancer as a metaphor from the perspective of a source domain and its implications in Arabic. The analysis and findings of two Arabic corpora (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Arabic Corpus and the Arabic corpus of Brigham Young University) showed the emergence of ten topic areas and themes that correspond to cancer as a metaphor in Arabic from the perspective a source domain, ordered from the most to least frequent: ISRAEL, CORRUPTION, VIOLENCE/TERRORISM/CONFLICT, PEOPLE/GROUP(S) OF PEOPLE, IDEOLOGY/RELIGION/ BELIEF, COGNITION/EMOTION/SENSATION, ARCHITECTURE/ENVIRONMENT, FINANCE/ ECONOMY/POVERTY, UNCLASSIFIED, and PLACE/LOCATION/COUNTRY. The following factors might impact and/or perpetuate the use of this metaphor in the Arabic discourse: 1) the negative correspondences between cancer disease and the described phenomena as metaphorical cancers grounded in 2) the embodied and real-world experiences and shared knowledge and understandings of cancer disease, and 3) the socio-political unrest in the Middle East region and its consequences of financial pressures, health challenges, and humanitarian crises.