Metaphoric Conceptualization of Love Pain or Suffering in Turkish Songs through Natural Phenomena and Natural Disasters

Muhammet Fatih Adıgüzel

Traditional Turkish love is identified with suffering. This study investigates how suffering in love is metaphorically conceptualized in Turkish via natural phenom ena and disasters. Based on figurative expressions in sad love songs of Arabesque and Art music genres, the study reveals that love pain/suffering is expressed through three salient metaphors: 1) LOVE PAIN/SUFFERING IS NATURAL PHENOMENA,2)LOVE PAIN/SUFFERING IS NATURAL DISASTERS, and 3) the overarching metaphor (the suffering) LOVER’SBODYISALANDSCAPE(affected by weather conditions or natural disasters). It was unearthed from metaphoric expressions in lyrics that as part of a cultural scenario, natural phenomena anddisastersareprofiledasinternalized forces culturally imagined to directly affect vital body parts to expres...