Systematic Functional Analysis of Grammatical Metaphors in the "Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act of Iran (Approved in 1974)"

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Language Studies Department, SAMT

2 Department of English language and literature, faculty of letters and humanities,, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the use and functions of grammatical metaphors in the “Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act of Iran.” A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, was employed. In the quantitative phase, the frequency of different types of grammatical metaphors—ideational, interpersonal, and logical—was calculated and presented in a statistical table. In the qualitative phase, a multi-layered analysis encompassing linguistic, metaphorical, discourse, contextual, and ideological dimensions was conducted. The findings indicate that ideational metaphors, which appeared most frequently, transform processes and states into abstract nouns, shifting focus from human agents to institutions; interpersonal metaphors reinforce responsibilities and legal obligations; and logical metaphors condense causal and conditional relations into regulatory concepts. Discourse and ideological analyses reveal that these linguistic structures legitimize institutional power, obscure individual responsibility, and reinforce organizational duties. Furthermore, the linguistic design of the legal text, through nominalization, obligatory modality, and agent deletion, facilitates information compression and depersonalization of actions.

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Main Subjects

Linguistic Studies: Theory and Practice

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 October 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 23 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 29 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 02 October 2025

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