A CONITIVE SEMANTIC STUDY OF UP/DOWN OREINTATIONAL METAPHOR IN THE LANGUAGE OF HOLY QURAN

This paper attempts to investigate the orientation metaphor up/down in the first half of Quran in cognitive semantic framework. Metaphorical Quranic expressions containing metaphors like up, down, raise, send down, lower, upper, etc are identified to investigate firstly: in Quranic language, which abstract religious concepts has been conceptualized through spatial and concrete orientational concepts? Secondly, what kind of systematic relationship exists between these metaphors? The current analytical study shows that abstract concepts like power, more, and better are located in the upper part of a vertical line in space. And, concepts like weakness, less, and worse are located the lower of the extreme. The experimental bases of these metaphors are culture of holy Qura’n and bodily movement of human being.