A Cognitive Analysis of Conceptual Metaphors in Ahmad Mahmoud’s Novel "The Fig Tree of Temples"

Grounded in the belief that metaphor was not merely a stylistic feature but a fundamental structure of human thought, this research approached language as a reflection of cognition and culture. Conceptual metaphors shaped the way individuals perceived, experienced, and articulated the world around them. This study examined the use of conceptual metaphors—structural, orientational, and ontological—in body-part expressions in Ahmad Mahmoud’s novel The Fig Tree of Temples, employing Lakoff & Johnson’s (1980) cognitive framework. The analysis revealed significant variation in the frequency of these metaphors, with structural metaphors being the most prevalent (p < 0.05), followed by orientational and ontological metaphors. The findings highlighted the role of body-part terms in conveying cognitive meanings and reflected the influence of cultural and environmental factors on metaphorical expression. This research contributed to the understanding of conceptual metaphors in Persian literature and their cognitive underpinnings.