Comparison of the Use of Conceptual Blending in Literary and Scientific Writing Styles

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Linguistics, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran (Corresponding Author)

2 Linguistics, Shahrood University of Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran.

3 M.A. in Linguistics, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.

10.22075/jlrs.2024.34066.2464

Abstract

One of the important topics in cognitive linguistics is conceptual blending, which creatively combines two distinct concepts and has been used to explain literary structures. In this article, we demonstrate that the use of conceptual blending is not only for creating imaginative sentences; sometimes, if the genre changes, the type and structure of conceptual blending change accordingly. To examine the impact of genre on types of blending, two books by Sirūs Shamisā, Monsoon (as an example of a literary text) and Literary Criticism (as an example of a scientific text), were selected, and sentences containing conceptual blending were extracted. Ultimately, we found that the data from Monsoon, which are literary in nature, are used to create imaginative scenes and sometimes blend with mythological characters and events, while in Literary Criticism, blending is related to concrete phenomena and events that lead to a clearer understanding of scientific content. Therefore, the literary genre makes the blendings abstract and the scientific genre concretize them. Additionally, it was concluded that Monsoon is a type of macro blending; the entire story is blended with its title, and the plot of the story is blended with the Monsoon storm.

Keywords


  • Birdsell, J. B. (2014). “Fauconnier's theory of mental spaces and conceptual blending”. In J. Littlemore & J. A. Taylor. The Bloomsbury companion to cognitive linguistics. London/New York: Bloomsbury. 72-90.
  • Dadras, Parinaz; Bahrami-Khorshid, Sahar; Golfam, Arsalan & Ameri, Hayat (2019). “Conceptual Blending; Its Background and Its Strategy (tælfiqe mæfhumi; piʃine væ sɑz væ kɑre ɑn)”. Language Related Research, 10(4), 1-29.
  • Fauconnier, G. (2000). »EntlY for The Encyclopedia of the social and Behavioral Sciences«. Cognitive Linguistic. 5. 307-315.
  • Fauconnier, G.; Turner, M. (2002). The way we think: Conceptual blending and the mind’s hidden complexities. New York: Basic Books.
  • Javanmard, Leila. (2010). The Role of conceptual blending in the formation of the Persian youth colloquialisms (næqʃe færɑyænde tælfiqe mæfhumi dær rævænde ʃekl-giri-ye estelɑh-hɑye fɑrsie xodemɑnie jævɑnɑn). MA Thesis, Tehran: Al-Zahra University.
  • Kia, Sepideh; Razavian, Hossein & Bahrami-Khorshid, Sahar. (2020/1400). “Conceptual blending in political news headlines (ɑmikhtegie mæfhumi dær ænɑvine xæbær siɑsi)”. Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects, 9(3), 89-108.
  • Mahmoodi Roodbaneh, Tahereh. (2016). The study of meaning construction in Persian TV advertisements, application of conceptual blending theory (færɑyænde sɑxte mæ’nɑ dær tæbliqɑtie televiziyunie fɑrsi, kɑrbæste Næzæri-ye-ye ɑmikhtegie mæfhumi). MA Thesis, Varamin: Payame Noor University.
  • Pordel, Mojtaba. (2017). “Literary creativity and cognitive linguistics: measuring the esthetic value of the poem "the paper boat" by Garoos Abdolmalekian within the framework of the conceptual blending theory (xælɑqiæte ædæbi væ zæbɑnʃenɑsie ʃenɑxti: sandʒeʃe zibɑ'i ʃenɑsɑne "qɑyeqe kɑqæzi" Garoos Abdolmalekian bær pɑyeye næzæriyeye hæm-ɑmizi-ye mæfhumi)”. Journal of Linguistics & Khorasan Dialects Biannual, 4(23), 251-315.
  • Rasekh Mahand, Mohammad. (2011). An introduction to cognitive linguistics, second edition (dærɑmædi bær zæbɑnʃenɑsie ʃenɑxti, tʃɑpe dovom). Tehran: SAMT.
  • Razavian, Hossein; Zare, Zahra & Bahrami-Khorshid, Sahar. “A new look at radio and television teasers using conceptual blending theory (negɑhi no be tizerhɑye tæbliqɑtie rɑdio-ey væ televiziyuni bɑ kɑrbæste Næzæri-ye-ye ɑmikhtegie mæfhumi)”. Journal of Linguistic and Rhetorical Studies, 10(20), 245-272.
  • Razavian, Hossein; Zare, Zahra & Bahrami-Khorshid, Sahar (2023). “Application of conceptual blending theory in the analysis of economic, political and sports news headlines (kɑrbæste næzæri-ye-ye ɑmikhtegie mæfhumi dær tæhlile ænɑvine xæbær-hɑye eqtesɑdi siɑsi væ værzeʃi)”. Language Related Research, 14(6), 37-76.
  • Shamisa, Sirus (2010). Monsoon (munsun). Tehran: Elm.
  • Shamisa, Sirus (2022). Literary criticism, third edition (næqde ædæbi, tʃɑpe sevom). Tehran: Mitra.
  • Sinha, C. (2005). “Blending out of the background: Play, props and staging in the material world”. Journal of Pragmatics. 37. 1537-1554.
  • Yousefian, Bahareh. (2017). A study of conceptual blending and metaphor in Persian noun phrases: A cognitive approach (bæræsi-ye næzæri-ye-ye tælfiqe mæfhumi dær esm-hɑye morækæbe zæbɑne fɑrsi ruykærde ʃenɑxti). MA Thesis, Tehran: Tarbiat Modares University.
  • Zandieh, M., Hah Roh, K. & Knapp, J. (2014). “Conceptual blending: Student reasoning when proving “conditional implies conditional” statements”. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior. 33. 209-229.