Conceptual Metaphor In Bollywood Songs

Abstract

Metaphor is fundamental to human thought and language. The phenomenon of conceptual metaphors (hereafterCMs)is well documented across a variety of languages and genres of literature, but no attention has paid about how this phenomenon is used in Bollywood songs. The present study attempts to fill in this gap by unfolding and describing the phenomenon of conceptual metaphors in Bollywood songsusing the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). A sample of 50 songs released during 2000 to 2016has been taken purposively. Recorded songs were orthographically transcribed and then data was analyzed descriptively to observe the use of conceptual metaphors in Bollywood songs. Furthermore, the study also looks at the functions of conceptual metaphor in Bollywood songs. This work explored the use of 13 categories of CMs in songs. Furthermore it was fund that the CMs have been used in romantic and pop songs to achieve six functions; animation, hypnotism, softness, attention, melody and representation of culture. The findings of the study will be useful for the songwriters in specific and listeners in general.