Cultural Linguistics in Human-Nature Interaction: Different Layers of Conceptualization

There has been growing interest in cultural linguistics (CL) in recent years; however, there is a dearth of studies exclusively analyzing human-nature interaction, particularly in the context of Iran. Thus, to fill this gap, the present study set out to investigate the relationship and interaction between human and nature from a cultural linguistic (CL) perspective. To this end, an Iranian film (Mah Ti-Ti), which is based on a fiction in Bakhtiari language and culture, was selected for analysis. The film was considered the best candidate for this study as it clearly reflects the interaction between man and his natural environment, as well as his respect and praise for nature. The theoretical framework proposed by Palmer (Toward a theory of cultural linguistics. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1996) and Sharifian (Cultural conceptualizations and language: theoretical framework and applications. John Benjamin, Amsterdam, 2011) on the interrelationship between cultural conceptualization and language was used to analyze the film. Analysis of the data yielded noteworthy results which provide evidence for the main elements of cultural conceptualization, namely, cultural schemas, cultural metaphors, and cultural categories of human-nature interaction. The present study opens a new perspective on CL and conceptualization theory, and it is the first attempt to apply the theory to the analysis of films.