Flourishing Creativity & Literacy - A Contrastive Analysis of Animal Metaphor in English and Persian

Oct 15, 2026

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Learning a second language for Iranian students may be challenging in parts that differ from first-language principles, especially metaphor. Metaphor varies across languages due to culture and historical development. This article conducts a comparative study to outline differences in English and Persian interpretations of animal metaphor, using three categorization schemes and illustrative examples drawn from both language cultures, to clarify how figurative meanings diverge in real usage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Metaphor and its categorization

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 6 No. 2; April 2015 Australian International Academic Centre, Australia Flourishing Creativity & Literacy A Contrastive Analysis of Animal Metaphor in English and Persian Marveh Miri Department of Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Larestan Branch, Iran [E-mail: Marveh_miri@yahoo.com](E-mail: Marveh_miri@yahoo.com) Afshin Soori (Corresponding author) Department of Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Larestan Branch, Iran [E-mail: Afshin_soori@yahoo.com](E-mail: Afshin_soori@yahoo.com) Doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p. 160 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p. 160](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.2p. 160) Received: 10/ 12/2014 Accepted: 06/02/2015 Abstract Learning a second language for Iranian students may not be simple at all parts, and it may be difficult for them, especially in some parts that is different from their first language principles. One of these parts is Metaphor, which is different in most languages according to their culture and history. This article is a kind of comparative study which aimed to describe some differences between English and Persian interpretation of animal metaphor. We have three categorization for animal metaphor and different examples according to cultures of both languages. Keywords: Animal metaphor, Contrastive analysis, Error analysis, Figurative language 1. Introduction Teaching and learning a second language, is not as easy as what it seems. It may be difficult for some learners. Some learners may work strong at some parts, skills and components, and they may feel weak at other different parts. This problem may have several reasons, one of them is first language interference. There are two kinds of interference: positive, which facilitate second language learning; and negative interferences which cause students to make different errors. Interference is the process of carrying over the speech habits of the native language into a foreign or second language, by which errors are generated (Yarmohammadi, 2002) . The topic of "first language interference" had an unusual history in second language acquisition research and practice. Error cause by negative interferences led scholars to argue about contrastive analysis (Krashen, 1981) . "Contrastive analysis (CA) is the systematic study of a pair of languages in order to identify their structural differences and similarities, usually for translation and teaching purposes" (Keshavarz, 2011) . The same kind of definition is provided by Fallahi (1991) that says," Contrastive analysis is a branch of linguistics that brings two language systems together, sets them against each other, and seeks to define the similarities and the differences between them" . As the term Contrastive implies, it is more about differences between languages than in their likenesses. One of the troublesome areas of EFL for Iranian students and especially novice translators is the figurative use of language. Figurative language is a set of literary devices that authors use to bring the reader into the writing. The literary devices use language in such a way that what is being said is different from the actual literal meaning of the words. It helps the reader to get a clearer picture of what's happening. Some common types of figurative language are: simile, metaphor, personification, and etc. (Faghih, 2001) . This study focus on the differences between animal metaphor interpretation in English and Persian. Metaphor is one of the figurative uses of language which definitely plays a significant role in language learning. Metaphor is a type of comparison between two objects that are not alike but have some similarities. It is similar to simile, but it doesn't use the words "like" or "as." 2. Metaphor and its categorization By definition, a metaphor involves a relationship of comparison between different propositions which are

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the article?

The article aims to describe differences between English and Persian interpretations of animal metaphor through a comparative study.

Why is metaphor considered difficult for Iranian second-language learners?

Metaphor differs across languages according to culture and history, and it can conflict with learners’ first-language principles and expectations.

How does the article define a metaphor?

A metaphor is described as involving a topic, an image, and a point of similarity, and correct understanding depends on identifying these components.

Oct 15, 2026

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