A Multidimensional Analysis of English Metaphors for Anger, Sadness, and Fear: Focusing on the Predicates of Shared Metaphors

This study investigates predicates in anger, sadness, and fear metaphors, with a particular emphasis on shared source domains(INSANITY, BURDEN, SUPERIOR, OPPONENT) identified by Kovecses(2000). Based on data from the COCA and GloWbE corpora, these metaphors are compared across five dimensions: control, dominance, duration, intention, and range. The analysis reveals significant differences: anger is associated with high controllability and intentional management. Fear emerges as the most overwhelming force, with even low-intensity triggers such as worry and concern evoking insanity. Sadness, despite its low dominance, leads to passive acceptance as the emotion is simply endured. This study further explores cultural implications, such as anger’s controllability contributing to negative evaluations, fear’s expansion to everyday concerns, and the pathologization of sadness in modern society.