Conceptualizing fear in Saudi Arabic and English: a cross-cultural metaphorical analysis

The study investigates how fear is metaphorically conceptualized in Saudi Arabic and English, identifying both shared and culture-specific patterns based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and Kövecses’ metaphorical framing (2000). The study adopts a qualitative, lexical–conceptual approach to analyze naturally occurring discourse. A purpose-built bilingual dataset of 100 metaphorical expressions (46 Saudi Arabic and 54 English) was compiled and analyzed in context to ensure cross-linguistic comparability. The findings reveal substantial convergence in core embodied metaphors of fear across the two languages, including mappings structured around force, bodily disruption, containment, and loss of control. At the same time, systematic differences emerge in how these shared mappings are elaborated. Saudi Arabic expressions tend to highlight somatic impact, anatomical specificity, and visibly embodied reactions, whereas English expressions more often emphasize internalized, perceptual, or cognitive responses. These contrasts reflect differences in how shared metaphors are elaborated and expressed in language. By distinguishing shared conceptual metaphors from language-specific patterns of elaboration, the study contributes to contrastive metaphor research on colloquial Saudi Arabic and supports a more discourse-sensitive application of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The findings also have practical implications for Arabic–English translation and language education, particularly in contexts where similar emotional meanings are conveyed through non-corresponding metaphorical cues.