Metaphorical motion in modern Arabic fiction (1970–2022): analyzing the use of motion verbs and manner

Abstract This study investigates metaphorical motion in modern Arabic fiction (1970–2022) to understand how motion verbs are selected and realized in abstract conceptual domains. While Arabic is traditionally classified as a verb-framed language, typically encoding path over manner, the research explores whether this typological tendency holds true for figurative language. Drawing on a 1.6-million-word corpus and integrating Talmy’s typology with a structurally enriched Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the study analyzes the distribution of manner and non-manner verbs across conceptual domains, metaphorical mappings, and underlying structural features like image schemas and experiential grounding. Findings reveal that while abstract domains (e.g., Time, Death) favor schematic, path-only expressions, sensorimotor domains (e.g., Physical Sensation, Emotion) frequently employ vivid, manner-rich verbs, especially for agentive or affectively salient metaphorical figures. Crucially, metaphorical mappings and their internal conceptual architecture – including image schema, figure–ground alignment, and experiential grounding – prove to be stronger predictors of verb choice than grammatical typology alone. This suggests that typological constraints can be overridden by the metaphor’s conceptual structure, particularly in metaphor-rich literary discourse. The study advocates for a shift from typological essentialism towards a cognitively informed model where metaphor structure primarily shapes motion rendering.