The Network of Image Schemas in the Shaqshaqiyya Sermon: Cognitive Mechanisms of Meaning Construction in Imam Ali's Critical Discourse

This study offers a systematic analysis of image schemas in the Shaqshaqiyya Sermon within the framework of cognitive linguistics. Drawing on the theoretical foundations established by Johnson (1987) and Evans and Green (2006), the sermon text was segmented into meaningful clausal units, and the linguistic markers corresponding to five primary image schemas-CONTAINER, PATH, FORCE, BALANCE, and LINK-were identified and analyzed. The findings indicate that the PATH schema, being the most frequent, plays a pivotal role in conceptualizing history and politics as dynamic and directional processes. The FORCE and CONTAINER schemas are also extensively utilized to represent pressure, coercion, and political domination. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that in a considerable portion of the samples, multiple schemas are integrated within a single expression, reflecting a high degree of cognitive density in the text (Evans & Green, 2006, p. 215). Abstract notions such as oppression, deviation, and collapse are consistently comprehended through mappings onto embodied, sensorimotor experiences-including bodily sensations, motion, and force-thereby corroborating the embodiment thesis central to cognitive linguistics (Lakoff & Johnson, 1999, p. 45). Overall, the Shaqshaqiyya Sermon constructs a coherent network of image schemas to present a layered and critical portrayal of the sociopolitical conditions following the Prophet's demise. The findings underscore how religious discourse can effectively harness embodied cognitive structures to convey complex meanings in a vivid and impactful manner.