Engineering contemporary Kurdish media discourse from the perspective of conceptual metaphor

Abstract

This study investigates the concept of metaphor within social discourse and its dynamic role in meaning production, shaping human relations, and the manifestations of power and ideological struggles within society. The primary problem of the research centers on how psychological and cultural backgrounds, alongside the contexts of time and space, influence the construction of meaning within discourse; particularly in the current era where Kurdish media is navigating a "post-traditional" phase, having lost its former authoritarian hegemony. This study aims to uncover the modern strategies employed by Kurdish visual media to persuade the audience, while analyzing the role of metaphor as a discursive and cognitive tool used to direct the viewer's understanding and perception.
To achieve these objectives, the study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. In terms of the theoretical framework, it draws upon Norman Fairclough’s insights regarding the social dimensions of discourse, and Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory within cognitive linguistics. Furthermore, the environmental television program Khakerayi (The Earthy) is utilized as the practical model for analysis and application.

Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Cognitive Linguistics, Post-Traditional Phase, Ideology and Power Struggles, Synthetic Personalization, Source and Target Domains.

The research is based on descriptive analysis. Theoretically, the descriptive aspect of the subject within the framework of theories of social discourse analysis (Norman Firklav and John Dayk) and theory It explains the conceptual metaphor of Lykoff and Johnson, and analyzes the textual quality of the metaphors in the territorial program opens the door.

Limitations of the study

Thematic boundaries: Conceptual metaphor in social discourse and its reflection in visual media.

Human Limits/Example: The environmental television program “Earth” as an example of practical analysis.

Kurdish Visual Media in the Kurdistan Region in the Contemporary and Present Period (Post-Traditional Period)