The Linguistic Study of Educational Similes in Quranic Stories: Based on Lakoff and Johnson's Structural Metaphor Approach

The theory of conceptual metaphors is one of the fundamental concepts in the field of cognitive sciences that we can use to understand abstract concepts. The theory was first introduced by Lakoff and Johnson in 1980, as stated by this theory, metaphor is not just a linguistic phenomenon, but arises from the conceptual system of the human mind and shapes the structure and perception of individuals. Due to the abstract nature of religious concepts, the need for metaphorical understanding in these areas is felt more than in other areas. Therefore, the present study examines educational similes in the Holy Quran based on the structural metaphor approach. Thus, only "15" similes out of the "44" Quranic similes that could be examined based on the cognitive approach of structural metaphor in the Holy Quran's stories have been analyzed using the descriptive-analytical method. Then to show how the structural metaphor of the verses works, they are drawn in the form of source and target schema. The results show that structural metaphor, via establishing a connection between the abstract aspect of the simile and its concrete aspect makes it possible to draw and understand abstract concepts according to the concrete concepts. Generally, in the educational similes of the Holy Qur'an, the target domains are more abstract than the source domains. Subsequently, language enables us to understand abstract concepts in our minds based on concrete concepts