A cognitive study of “sadness is pain” in Persian and Arabic languages

A part of the conceptual structure of sadness is understood and expressed along with pain. The relationship between pain and part of the concept of sadness is quite close in a way that physiological correlation of these two is predictable. Pain is phenomenologically related to sadness in which, understanding and perception of its progress as an abstract experience through the experience of pain which is more physical. In the cognitive concept of “sadness is pain”, sadness should be sought in the framework of the sensory characteristics of pain. Pain expresses the feeling of a person when experiencing sadness, and it shows an unfavorable mental state with an unpleasant physical feeling. Sadness is a warning and a call from the damaged mind (soul) of a person. Pain is a warning issued from the body. Pain is naturally considered a negative experience; consequently, it creates a negative evaluation of sadness. The present study surveys the concept of sadness in that part of Persian and Arabic languages which is expressed by source domain related to pain, so that the way of thinking of the speakers of the mentioned languages in this domain, the understanding, and the similarities and differences between them are revealed. The method of conducting this research is descriptive and analytical, and the method of analysis is cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor. Regarding the pain perception of sadness, it can be said that the analysis of the data indicates a wide cognitive similarity between these two languages. It seems that Persian and Arabic people imagine themselves affected by different states of pain when they are sad; this means that they expose their bodies to insect bites, plant thorns, sharp tools, heat and burning, or pain caused by high pressure, etc. which seems that the source domain  related to tools and animals in Arabic show more diversity for the conceptualization of pain and the reason for that can be found in the environmental and geographical characteristics of Arabic people.