Two Conceptual Metaphors in the Holy Qur'an Language: "Great Chain of Being" and the Religion Complex System (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

چکیده

There are two general and important issues related to the Qur'an's language that require investigation. First, how the Qur'an's language metaphorically depicts the hierarchical relations and values of different entities and beings in the world, and second, how (through which cognitive mechanism) the religion's complex system is conceptualized. The first one is explained through the Great Chain of Being Metaphor (GCBM), and the second is elaborated by using the Complex Abstract System mentioned by Kövecses (2010). This paper aims to introduce GCBM and the relevant mappings in the Holy Qur'an language, as well as its sub-part, Complex Abstract System. The specific questions are: whether GCBM occurs in the Qur'an language and, if so, how it functions. Moreover, which source domains are involved in the conceptualization of the religion abstract system? Therefore, the previously extracted metaphors of the Holy Qur'an language, which conceptualize the status and attributes of entities, have been selected, categorized, and analyzed according to CMT methods. The results show that God is conceptualized in the highest position and best value, and other creatures, as lower elements of a vertical system, are evaluated about God. More importantly, humans are not intrinsically higher and better than animals, and unbelievers are depicted in the lowest position. The other finding is that religion as a Complex Abstract System can be understood through source domains of HUMAN BODY, PLANT, and BUILDING. There are abundant metaphors in the Holy Qur'an that are constructed based on the Religion Complex Abstract System.