Metaphorical analysis of conceptualization of

Bavali, Zohre; Bicharanlou, Abdollah

doi:10.22059/ijar.2025.375009.459860

Metaphorical analysis of conceptualization of "masculinity" in Persian Twitter

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Zohre Bavali ¹
Abdollah Bicharanlou ²

¹ Ph.D Student of Communication Science ,The University of Tehran

² Associate Professor, The University of Tehran

10.22059/ijar.2025.375009.459860

Abstract

Purpose- Today, with the intensification of the mediaization process, especially the expansion of the use of social media, these media are intertwined with the daily lives of many people, and many of their specialized and daily activities are carried out on social media. Social media have become a broad public domain that provides a platform for the development and dissemination of discourses. Therefore, in order to understand the dynamics of various discourses, one cannot ignore the study of various actions of individuals in social media. Understanding how concepts are constructed in a cultural field is a way to study and understand that cultural field. Man, manhood, and masculinity are abstract gender concepts, the most important ways of conceptualizing them are metaphors related to these concepts. Metaphor in contemporary metaphor theory (cognitive approach to metaphor) is not only a rhetorical device but also the basis of our understanding and a major part of our conceptual system is built by conceptual metaphors. Accordingly, the purpose of the present study is to analyze the metaphorical conceptualization of masculinity and masculinity on Persian Twitter.
Methodology: In this study, using the tools available in cognitive linguistics, the conceptualization of masculinity and masculinity on Persian Twitter was examined. Tweets shared on the Twitter (X) program on the occasion of Men's Day in two-month periods (January 1402 and January 1401) were analyzed. Using semiotic analysis as a data analysis method, the conceptual metaphors in each tweet were extracted as the main signifiers, and the implicit and broader implications of the metaphors were discussed according to the components of the conceptual metaphor.
Findings: Based on the analysis of tweets shared with the hashtags of Man Day, Man, and Masculinity, it was determined that the metaphorical conceptualization of "masculinity" and "masculinity" took place in 14 macro-conceptual domains: "universalism and non-identification with masculinity", "strength and power", "capital and property", "action and performance", "objects", "good qualities", "solid structures", "supernatural", "display", "nature and natural elements", "purpose and goal", "emotion", "war and struggle", "animal", and "knowledge and skill".
Conclusion: The metaphors extracted in this study are in line with the patriarchal discourse and reproduce the position of men as superior beings with inherent power and make this power appear legitimate and natural. These metaphors portray the social and cultural differences between men and women, which are often due to social and historical structures, as inherent and unchangeable characteristics. Therefore, the concept of “masculinity” is not only defined in terms of male power and authority, but this power is justified and legitimated as a natural and entitled right of men

Keywords

Main Subjects

Linguistic Anthropology

Full Text

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