ONTOLOGICAL METAPHORS IN THE REPRESENTATION OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47390/ydif-y2026v2i12/n23Keywords:
ontological metaphors, conceptual metaphor, negative emotions, cognitive linguistics, emotional conceptualization, lexical-semantic field, English language, personification, container metaphor, linguistic worldview.Abstract
The article examines ontological metaphors as one of the principal means of conceptualizing negative emotions in the English language. The study is conducted within the framework of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory developed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, according to which abstract phenomena are understood through more concrete conceptual models. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the ontological metaphors “Emotion as an Object (Entity),” “Emotion as a Container,” and “Emotion as a Living Being.” The research material includes examples from the English language and English literary texts illustrating various ways of representing fear, anxiety, sadness, despair, and other negative emotional states. The findings demonstrate that ontological metaphors facilitate the objectification of emotional experience by conceptualizing emotions as independent entities, spatial formations, or active agents. The study reveals that these metaphorical models play a significant role in the organization of the lexical-semantic field of negative emotions and reflect the distinctive features of the English linguistic worldview.
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