THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE IN TURKISH SHORT STORIES: AN ANALYSIS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR
TÜRKÇE KISA ÖYKÜLERDE DOĞA VE İNSAN İLİŞKİSİ: KAVRAMSAL EĞRETİLEME MODELİ ÇERÇEVESİNDE BİR İNCELEME

Author : Gülsüm Songül ERCAN
Number of pages : 155-164

Abstract

Metaphor is the use of a word to refer to something other than its denotative meaning to suggest some resemblance or make a connection between the two things. Lakoff & Johnson (2003) argue that metaphors, a cultural phenomenon, dominate our conceptual system which controls our thoughts, perceptions and actions and explain this case within the framework of ‘Conceptual Metaphor Theory’ and classify metaphors in three types, i.e. structural, orientational and ontological. Metaphor is a type figurative language used frequently in short stories (Shaw, 2014); however it has not been studied under the theory of ‘Conceptual Metaphor’ (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003). Thus, in order to find out how the theory works in short stories, metaphor is studied in two different short stories on the relationship of human beings and nature and aimed to reveal how the relationship between human beings and nature is encoded via metaphors. To this end, Carnations and Tomato Juice (Sait Faik Abasıyanık) and The Story of a Forest (Sabahattin Ali) have been selected. The findings of the analysis of the stories in our database show that the most frequently preferred type of metaphor is ontological whereas the least is structural one. However, there is a difference in both the frequency of the type of the metaphor used. In The Story of a Forest other than preference to use the ontological metaphor of personification of all the type of conceptual metaphors, the most salient difference is in the conceptualization of nature. In Carnations and Tomato Juice, via the concept of NATURE IS IN CONFLICT WITH HUMAN, the fight between the human and nature and in The Story of a Forest however, with NATURE IS HUMAN conceptual metaphor the connection between them is constructed. In line with these findings, it can be argued that the theory of Conceptual Metaphor is a powerful tool to reveal the message to be conveyed in the story.

Keywords

Conceptual Metaphor, Structural Metaphor, Orientational Metaphor, Ontological Metaphor, Short Story

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