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Keywords

figurative language, national identity, metaphor, idiom, cultural linguistics, symbolism

How to Cite

THE REFLECTION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE. (2025). SYNAPSES: INSIGHTS ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES, 2(10), 68-77. https://www.universalpublishings.com/index.php/siad/article/view/13948

Abstract

This article examines how figurative language – including metaphors, idioms, and symbols – embodies and reflects national and cultural identity. Drawing on theories of conceptual metaphor and cultural linguistics, the study reviews how national ideals, historical narratives, and collective values are encoded in language. For example, metaphors such as the nation-as-body or nation-as-family illustrate how speakers conceptualize their country (Musolff, 2020)

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References

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3.Shutova, M. O. (2024). Idiomatic space of the concept motherland in the English and Ukrainian languages. Messenger of Kyiv National Linguistic University. Series Philology, 26(2), 134–141.

4.Tocharoen, S., & Tapinta, P. (2019). A study of figurative language used in the composition of national anthems. HURU Journal of Humanities, 30(1), 1–17.

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6.Wu, Z. (2020). A corpus-based study of how conceptual metaphor demystifies national identity in Hong Kong (Master’s thesis). City University of Hong Kong.

7.Zou, J., Fuller, C., & Wang, L. (2025). The interplay between cultural models and metaphor understanding: A cross-cultural cognitive perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1539784.

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