Metaphor and Metonymy in Arabic and English Football Commentaries: A Contrastive Linguistic Study

Authors

  • Suzan Saleh Shan

    Department of Foreign Languages, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
  • Ghaleb Rabab'ah

    Department of Foreign Languages, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates

    Department of English Language and Literature, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
  • Omar Bani Mofarrej

    The Language Center, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
  • Sharif Alghazo

    Department of Foreign Languages, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates

    Department of English Language and Literature, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10650
Received: 23 June 2025 | Revised: 16 July 2025 | Accepted: 17 July 2025 | Published Online: 17 September 2025

Abstract

This study investigates the use of conceptual metaphors and metonymies in English and Arabic oral commentaries of one of the Qatar World Cup's prominent football matches. Based on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980, 2003) Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), the study explores differences between the two languages in the use of conceptual metaphors and metonymies. The study adopts a qualitative research methodology utilising the theoretical models of Pragglejaz Group (2007) and Littlemore (2015) to identify conceptual metaphors and metonymies. The analysis shows that both commentaries commonly conceptualised football as a form of WAR and VIOLENCE and involved ATTRIBUTES OF ANIMALS OR HUMANS. The English commentary additionally demonstrated a more diverse range of conceptualisations, such as FOOTBALL IS ART. Conversely, the Arabic commentary leaned heavily towards WAR and VIOLENCE. Other unique conceptual metaphors in Arabic were also introduced. Regarding metonymies, the English commentary employed fewer types, focusing on PLAYER­RELATED associations, whereas the Arabic commentary utilised a broader range, incorporating elements such as a COUNTRY'S FLAG. Overall, the Arabic commentary relied extensively on metonymies, showcasing greater diversity than the English one. The study concludes that conceptualising football can be analysed simultaneously in terms of universal and culture­specific cognitive mappings. Each of these two types is attributed to particular cultural and universal justifications.

Keywords:

Football Commentaries; Conceptual Metaphor; Conceptual Metonymy; Contrastive Analysis; English and Arabic

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How to Cite

Shan, S. S., Rabab’ah, G., Bani Mofarrej, O., & Alghazo, S. (2025). Metaphor and Metonymy in Arabic and English Football Commentaries: A Contrastive Linguistic Study. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(9), 985–1010. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i9.10650

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Vol. 7 , Iss. 9 (September 2025)

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Copyright © 2025 Suzan Saleh Shan, Ghaleb Rabab'ah, Omar Bani Mofarrej, Sharif Alghazo

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.