Metaphors of Emotion in Kurdish: An Analysis from the Perspective of Image Schema Theory

Most emotional concepts people use in their everyday lives are metaphorically structuredand understood. Therefore, the study of emotional metaphors becomes significant for anadequate understanding of emotional reality. The present study is intended to analyzemetaphors of emotion in Kurdish from the perspective of image schema theory in cognitivelinguistics. The study aims to examine the role of image schemas in constructing andunderstanding metaphors of emotion in central Kurdish and their meanings. The studyseeks to answer some questions, such as: Is the theory of image schema applicable tothe metaphors of emotion in central Kurdish? How are emotions of happiness, sadness,anger and love conceptualized in Kurdish from the perspective of Image Schema theory?What are the major types of image schema that are commonly found in central Kurdishemotional metaphors? To answer the above questions, a qualitative analysis of data hasbeen adopted as a method of data analysis. Depending on the analysis of the data, thestudy comes up with the idea that the theory of image schema is applicable to the metaphorsof emotions in central Kurdish and that the most common image schemas in thecentral Kurdish data, in descending order, are the FORCE, LINK, CONTAINER, PATH,and PART- WHOLE schema.