Cognitive Mechanisms and Their Role in Do’a Conceptualization

Cognitive strategies, first introduced in Cognitive Semantics, are cognitive devices like conceptual metonymies, conceptual metaphors, image metaphors and schemas which structure abstract concepts in our minds and facilitate our understanding. This paper aims to study examples of these strategies in the language of Sahife Sajjadie. For this purpose, I have analyzed cases of structural, orientational, and ontological metaphors, as well as conceptual metonymies, image metaphors and image schemas in this religious text to find out two things. What is the role of these strategies in conceptualization and understanding of abstract concepts, and to find whether the analyzed language is a literary language or not. Analysis of the selected metaphorical data shows that religious abstract concepts are represented both literally and non-literally. Non-literal representations of concepts are structured by using cognitive strategies of metaphor, metonymy, image schemas and metaphors. In addition, language of Do’a in this book has used the same metaphors as ordinary conventional language, though it has used extending, elaboration, combining of metaphors, as well as personification and metaphorical images which assimilate it to a literary work.