The Role of Metaphors in Shaping the Culture of Corona Fear: A Cognitive and Critical Approach

The emergence and spread of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19, which has affected various aspects of life in human societies since early 2020, has also been widely reflected in various media around the world and has led to the emergence of discourses, a significant portion of which is based on metaphor. Our aim in this research is to examine the role of conceptual metaphors in creating a culture of fear in the discourse surrounding the coronavirus with a cognitive and critical approach. The research, based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff, 1993; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, 1999) and within the framework of critical metaphor analysis (Charteris-Black, 2004), seeks to answer two fundamental questions: 1. How do metaphors contribute to the formation of a culture of fear regarding the coronavirus? 2. What function do metaphors play in shaping COVID-19 discourse and the culture of fear?Since the appearance of COVID-19 and its global spread, studies have been conducted on various dimensions of the disease. Linguistic researchers have also studied the conceptualization of the disease and its reflection in media. Mozaheb and Shahiditabar (2020) have found that the most common source domains used in Iranian online media for conceptualizing the coronavirus are: enemy, barrier, path, movement, crisis, fortress, physical experiences, and body parts. Yalsharzeh and Monsefi (2020) have found that the Ministry of Health in Iran has used Concepts based on the religious-revolutionary ideology and the Iran-Iraq war to confront the coronavirus. Javid and Rahimian (2021) have examined the differences in the metaphorical conceptualization of the coronavirus in the headlines of two Iranian newspapers, Etemad and Iran, and found that metaphorical domains such as vehicle, human, animal, disaster, obstacle, sword, object, commodity, competition, living being, force, place, war, event, game, and opportunity were common in both newspapers. At the global level, numerous studies have been conducted on the linguistic dimensions of the coronavirus discourse. Wicke and Bolognesi (2020) have examined the conceptualization of the coronavirus and the discussion of its pandemic on Twitter and found that the words and terms related to the "war" conceptual domain play a significant role in shaping the discourse of the coronavirus. Chaiuk and Dunaievska (2020) have shown that British newspapers, using metaphorical interpretations, have depicted the coronavirus as a deadly creature which is approaching Britain and will engulf the country like a tsunami.

The research data consists of excerpts from the titles or texts of news published on the Hamshahri newspaper's website during a four-month period from the beginning of February 2020 to the end of June 2020, in which the coronavirus has been conceptualized by war metaphors. These metaphorical expressions, obtained through keyword search (such as corona, COVID, COVID-19, virus, pandemic), amount to 350 cases and have been analyzed based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) and within the framework of critical metaphor analysis (Charteris-Black, 2004).

The research findings indicate that the conceptual domain of war is one of the most commonly used metaphorical domains to describe the coronavirus. In the discourse of the Hamshahri newspaper, the conceptual metaphor ‘corona is the enemy’ has played a central and fundamental role in conceptualizing the coronavirus and related issues and events. This conceptual metaphor entails multiple metaphorical implications, including the following:- Medical centers are the front line of the war against the enemy; Medical staff (doctors, nurses, etc.) are the soldiers (fighters, warriors); The highest responsible authority is the commander of the war;Medical interventions and activities are military operations;  Recovery from the coronavirus is defeating the enemy.

In response to the first question, it must be said that metaphors always highlight some aspects of reality while hide others. What is highlighted in the metaphors of war is the critical nature of the conditions and the intensity of the existential damage that is inflicted on society. Additionally, the necessity of unity and earnest effort to combat the disease is another aspect that is highlighted in this metaphor. Therefore, war metaphors make the audience feel so fearful and anxious that they perceive their ordinary and daily life as a dangerous battle with a deadly enemy, which they may encounter at any time and place.In response to the second question, it should be noted that war metaphors have both cognitive and persuasive functions and, in addition to rationality, they influence the emotions of the audience. The metaphor 'Coronavirus is the enemy' uses various concepts from the war domain, which is a familiar and experienced concept for Iranians, and by employing religious elements that are also prevalent in the discourse of imposed war (such as martyrdom, sacrifice, jihad), it serves the dual functions of argumentation and emotion, accompanying the rationality and emotions of the audience.