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Papers by Mohsen Bakhtiar

This chapter explores how Persian proverbial metaphors are used in discourse to frame Iran's nucl... more This chapter explores how Persian proverbial metaphors are used in discourse to frame Iran's nuclear program. To that end, contextual uses of a sample of Persian proverbs were analysed in terms of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The results demonstrate that proverbs' scope of operation goes way beyond their conventional functions. They are used to propagate pessimism, express sarcasm, make accusations, threaten and humiliate the rival camp, fabricate a new political reality, and manipulate the content and courses of action. The research also finds that proverbs are apt tools for framing complex socio-political issues, as they encapsulate a bundle of integrated figurative conceptualisations, providing users with ready-to-use conceptual slots to apply to complex scenarios with multiple roles and relations. Finally yet importantly, the research shows that the analysis of proverbs in discourse context provides a more comprehensive view of proverbs by completing the chain of association between the specific-level schema, generic-level schema and the immediate context of use.

World Journal of Psychiatry, 2022

An important factor in the course of daily medical diagnosis and treatment is understanding patie... more An important factor in the course of daily medical diagnosis and treatment is understanding patients' emotional states by the caregiver physicians. However, patients usually avoid speaking out their emotions when expressing their somatic symptoms and complaints to their non-psychiatrist doctor. On the other hand, clinicians usually lack the required expertise (or time) and have a deficit in mining various verbal and non-verbal emotional signals of the patients. As a result, in many cases, there is an emotion recognition barrier between the clinician and the patients making all patients seem the same except for their different somatic symptoms. In particular, we aim to identify and combine three major disciplines (psychology, linguistics, and data science) approaches for detecting emotions from verbal communication and propose an integrated solution for emotion recognition support. Such a platform may give emotional guides and indices to Adibi P et al. Emotion recognition support system WJP https://www.wjgnet.com 1 December 11, 2022 Volume 0 Issue 0 the clinician based on verbal communication at the consultation time.

Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 2019

This research deals with the conceptualizations of effat in Persian and seeks to find out how thi... more This research deals with the conceptualizations of effat in Persian and seeks to find out how this cultural key concept regulates the sexuality of Iranians. The analysis of the data collected from the Persian newspaper Kayhan indicates that effat is part of a larger cultural model that operates to restrict the sexuality of Iranians and keep the sexes segregated. The analysis demonstrates that effat exclusively functions to discipline the body and set limits to bodily desires. Within the identified cultural model, effat's main task is to segregate men and women by creating a cover/barrier between them, blocking/concealing the ways through which sexual desire might be aroused. The results show that metaphor is the primary means of representing the functions of effat. The EFFAT IS A CURTAIN and EFFAT IS A BARRIER metaphors mark the boundaries between individuals and prohibited areas of the culture. Moreover, metaphors contribute to discovering the relationship between effat and its most related concepts. Metaphorical conceptualizations of effat provide significant evidence as to how embodied experience is informed and constituted by culture. The research also finds that the body bears the imprint of effat. Compared to anthropological accounts, this research provides a more comprehensive image of this concept by simultaneously taking into account the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discursive representations in the formation of the cultural model of effat.

This paper investigates the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discourse-pragmatic f... more This paper investigates the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discourse-pragmatic factors in the formation of the cultural model of hayâ in Persian by broadening Kövecses's (1990) account of emotion concepts. The analysis of the data collected from the Persian newspaper Keyhan indicates that hayâ together with a set of key concepts (effat 'chastity', âberu 'face/public image', and gheirat 'moral vigilance') form a key cluster and jointly regulate social interactions in Iranian culture. Hayâ is shown to be a figuratively constructed emotion concept. Conceptual metaphors are employed to measure the existence and suf-ficiency of the emotion, to represent the sanctity and vulnerability of hayâ, and to highlight the protective, segregative, and prohibitive functions of hayâ. This research shows that adding formal and socio-pragmatic properties of emotions to the cognitive analysis contributes to discovering characteristic features and cog-nitive functions of culturally significant emotions which might not be identified if emotions are merely seen as individual feeling states (Kövecses 1990) or social constructs (Lutz 1988).

Metaphor and the Social World, 2017

Proper hejab observance has long been an important issue to political-religious conservatives in ... more Proper hejab observance has long been an important issue to political-religious conservatives in Iran who, in recent years, have relied on metaphorical language to persuade Iranian women to dress modestly in public. The present paper, based on Kövecses's (2015) account of metaphor in context, explores the role of contextual factors involved in the formation of hejab linguistic metaphors used in 56 pro-hejab billboards and posters. Data analysis indicates that the moral and social status of women are depicted as being determined by, or correlated with, their degree of veiling. On that basis, properly covered up women are shown to be the recipients of very positive metaphorical conceptualizations (as PEARLS, FLOWERS, and ANGELS), whereas immodestly dressed women are negatively pictured as being subject to sexual objectification (as UNWRAPPED EDIBLES). Moreover, the HEJAB IS A PROTECTIVE COVER is shown to be the metaphor instantiated in many of the billboards and posters. The protective function of hejab is highlighted by conceptualizing corrupt men as FLIES and DEVILS. Finally, the metaphorical patterns represent the contextual role of political and religious ideology, key cultural concepts, and show entrenched conventional conceptual metaphors and metonymies in the production of novel metaphors.

Conceptual metaphors can be made real in culture and structure many areas of human experience in ... more Conceptual metaphors can be made real in culture and structure many areas of human experience in nonlinguistic ways . In this paper, relying on a cognitive account of metaphor, I attempted to find out in which ways death metaphors manifest themselves in Iranian culture. Analyzing the rituals of death in Iran, it was revealed that Iranians rely on a set of basic concetual metaphors to conceptualize the taboo of death. Heavily motivated by religious instructions, the whole scenario of death is conceptualized in terms of human physical and psychological experiences. In addition to the event of death, which is conceptualized via the highly generic DEATH IS LIFE metaphor, in this culture, an important mapping of this metaphor, that is, THE DEAD ARE EMOTIONAL BEINGS, is extensively realized and enacted, which provides a unique subsystem for making euphemistic reference to death. Furthermore, the paper comes to the conclusion that most of the entailments of the source domains and some of the source domains turn into social-physical reality. The whole system of death rituals as structured by metaphors imply that we metaphorically never die.

Cognitive Linguistic Studies, 2015

While dysphemism has been extensively studied as a general phenomenon, there are not too many stu... more While dysphemism has been extensively studied as a general phenomenon, there are not too many studies on how it is used in political discourse by top officials. This paper aims to examine the ways in which a sample of two high-level Iranian politicians dysphemistically conceptualize their alleged enemies, namely the U.S., Israel, and the West, through conceptual metaphors and metonymies. A cognitive linguistic analysis of the speeches of Iran's supreme leader and the expresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicates that the selection of the metaphorical dysphemistic source domain is primarily determined by religion, previous discourse (pre-existing conventional dysphemistic metaphors), aspects of the target domain, and anger or hatred toward the enemies. The analysis indicates that most of the pejorative connotations are attributed to Israel as the alleged number one enemy of Iran via Israel is an animal, Israel is a tumor, and Israel is a bastard. The other presumed enemies, that is, the U.S. and the West are characterized via the u.s. is a devil, and the u.s. and the west are criminals. Moreover, the two politicians, while resorting to taboo concepts, remain loyal to the established discursive norms of delegitimizing the actions and thoughts of the enemies of the Islamic Republic.

This chapter explores how Persian proverbial metaphors are used in discourse to frame Iran's nucl... more This chapter explores how Persian proverbial metaphors are used in discourse to frame Iran's nuclear program. To that end, contextual uses of a sample of Persian proverbs were analysed in terms of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The results demonstrate that proverbs' scope of operation goes way beyond their conventional functions. They are used to propagate pessimism, express sarcasm, make accusations, threaten and humiliate the rival camp, fabricate a new political reality, and manipulate the content and courses of action. The research also finds that proverbs are apt tools for framing complex socio-political issues, as they encapsulate a bundle of integrated figurative conceptualisations, providing users with ready-to-use conceptual slots to apply to complex scenarios with multiple roles and relations. Finally yet importantly, the research shows that the analysis of proverbs in discourse context provides a more comprehensive view of proverbs by completing the chain of association between the specific-level schema, generic-level schema and the immediate context of use.

World Journal of Psychiatry, 2022

An important factor in the course of daily medical diagnosis and treatment is understanding patie... more An important factor in the course of daily medical diagnosis and treatment is understanding patients' emotional states by the caregiver physicians. However, patients usually avoid speaking out their emotions when expressing their somatic symptoms and complaints to their non-psychiatrist doctor. On the other hand, clinicians usually lack the required expertise (or time) and have a deficit in mining various verbal and non-verbal emotional signals of the patients. As a result, in many cases, there is an emotion recognition barrier between the clinician and the patients making all patients seem the same except for their different somatic symptoms. In particular, we aim to identify and combine three major disciplines (psychology, linguistics, and data science) approaches for detecting emotions from verbal communication and propose an integrated solution for emotion recognition support. Such a platform may give emotional guides and indices to Adibi P et al. Emotion recognition support system WJP https://www.wjgnet.com 1 December 11, 2022 Volume 0 Issue 0 the clinician based on verbal communication at the consultation time.

Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 2019

This research deals with the conceptualizations of effat in Persian and seeks to find out how thi... more This research deals with the conceptualizations of effat in Persian and seeks to find out how this cultural key concept regulates the sexuality of Iranians. The analysis of the data collected from the Persian newspaper Kayhan indicates that effat is part of a larger cultural model that operates to restrict the sexuality of Iranians and keep the sexes segregated. The analysis demonstrates that effat exclusively functions to discipline the body and set limits to bodily desires. Within the identified cultural model, effat's main task is to segregate men and women by creating a cover/barrier between them, blocking/concealing the ways through which sexual desire might be aroused. The results show that metaphor is the primary means of representing the functions of effat. The EFFAT IS A CURTAIN and EFFAT IS A BARRIER metaphors mark the boundaries between individuals and prohibited areas of the culture. Moreover, metaphors contribute to discovering the relationship between effat and its most related concepts. Metaphorical conceptualizations of effat provide significant evidence as to how embodied experience is informed and constituted by culture. The research also finds that the body bears the imprint of effat. Compared to anthropological accounts, this research provides a more comprehensive image of this concept by simultaneously taking into account the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discursive representations in the formation of the cultural model of effat.

This paper investigates the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discourse-pragmatic f... more This paper investigates the role of bodily, cognitive, social-cultural, and discourse-pragmatic factors in the formation of the cultural model of hayâ in Persian by broadening Kövecses's (1990) account of emotion concepts. The analysis of the data collected from the Persian newspaper Keyhan indicates that hayâ together with a set of key concepts (effat 'chastity', âberu 'face/public image', and gheirat 'moral vigilance') form a key cluster and jointly regulate social interactions in Iranian culture. Hayâ is shown to be a figuratively constructed emotion concept. Conceptual metaphors are employed to measure the existence and suf-ficiency of the emotion, to represent the sanctity and vulnerability of hayâ, and to highlight the protective, segregative, and prohibitive functions of hayâ. This research shows that adding formal and socio-pragmatic properties of emotions to the cognitive analysis contributes to discovering characteristic features and cog-nitive functions of culturally significant emotions which might not be identified if emotions are merely seen as individual feeling states (Kövecses 1990) or social constructs (Lutz 1988).

Metaphor and the Social World, 2017

Proper hejab observance has long been an important issue to political-religious conservatives in ... more Proper hejab observance has long been an important issue to political-religious conservatives in Iran who, in recent years, have relied on metaphorical language to persuade Iranian women to dress modestly in public. The present paper, based on Kövecses's (2015) account of metaphor in context, explores the role of contextual factors involved in the formation of hejab linguistic metaphors used in 56 pro-hejab billboards and posters. Data analysis indicates that the moral and social status of women are depicted as being determined by, or correlated with, their degree of veiling. On that basis, properly covered up women are shown to be the recipients of very positive metaphorical conceptualizations (as PEARLS, FLOWERS, and ANGELS), whereas immodestly dressed women are negatively pictured as being subject to sexual objectification (as UNWRAPPED EDIBLES). Moreover, the HEJAB IS A PROTECTIVE COVER is shown to be the metaphor instantiated in many of the billboards and posters. The protective function of hejab is highlighted by conceptualizing corrupt men as FLIES and DEVILS. Finally, the metaphorical patterns represent the contextual role of political and religious ideology, key cultural concepts, and show entrenched conventional conceptual metaphors and metonymies in the production of novel metaphors.

Conceptual metaphors can be made real in culture and structure many areas of human experience in ... more Conceptual metaphors can be made real in culture and structure many areas of human experience in nonlinguistic ways . In this paper, relying on a cognitive account of metaphor, I attempted to find out in which ways death metaphors manifest themselves in Iranian culture. Analyzing the rituals of death in Iran, it was revealed that Iranians rely on a set of basic concetual metaphors to conceptualize the taboo of death. Heavily motivated by religious instructions, the whole scenario of death is conceptualized in terms of human physical and psychological experiences. In addition to the event of death, which is conceptualized via the highly generic DEATH IS LIFE metaphor, in this culture, an important mapping of this metaphor, that is, THE DEAD ARE EMOTIONAL BEINGS, is extensively realized and enacted, which provides a unique subsystem for making euphemistic reference to death. Furthermore, the paper comes to the conclusion that most of the entailments of the source domains and some of the source domains turn into social-physical reality. The whole system of death rituals as structured by metaphors imply that we metaphorically never die.

Cognitive Linguistic Studies, 2015

While dysphemism has been extensively studied as a general phenomenon, there are not too many stu... more While dysphemism has been extensively studied as a general phenomenon, there are not too many studies on how it is used in political discourse by top officials. This paper aims to examine the ways in which a sample of two high-level Iranian politicians dysphemistically conceptualize their alleged enemies, namely the U.S., Israel, and the West, through conceptual metaphors and metonymies. A cognitive linguistic analysis of the speeches of Iran's supreme leader and the expresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicates that the selection of the metaphorical dysphemistic source domain is primarily determined by religion, previous discourse (pre-existing conventional dysphemistic metaphors), aspects of the target domain, and anger or hatred toward the enemies. The analysis indicates that most of the pejorative connotations are attributed to Israel as the alleged number one enemy of Iran via Israel is an animal, Israel is a tumor, and Israel is a bastard. The other presumed enemies, that is, the U.S. and the West are characterized via the u.s. is a devil, and the u.s. and the west are criminals. Moreover, the two politicians, while resorting to taboo concepts, remain loyal to the established discursive norms of delegitimizing the actions and thoughts of the enemies of the Islamic Republic.