Conceptual metaphors: a diachronic study of LOVE metaphors in Mariah Carey's song lyrics

• Main Author: Gavelin, Emma
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Institutionen för språkstudier 2016
• Subjects: conceptual metaphors; LOVE; source concept; target concept; song lyrics; General Language Studies and Linguistics; Jämförande språkvetenskap och allmän lingvistik
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-116716

This essay is an account of an investigation of conceptual metaphors of LOVE in two albums by singer Mariah Carey. It also includes an investigation of if LOVE metaphors were used differently at the beginning of her career from how they are used twenty-four years later. The study is based on the singles of Carey's debut album and those of her latest album. The analysis showed that although the songs are separated by approximately twenty years the LOVE metaphors most reflected in the song lyrics were the same in both albums. The results also showed that the source concept which was most typically used overall was also reflected to describe the target concept in both albums. However, the variation of LOVE metaphors was greater in the singles of her debut album.