Methodology of Critical Metaphor Analysis: A Case Study of the “Water Metaphor” in the “Qanun-e Ab va Nahve-ye Melli-Shodan-e An (1347)” (The 1968 Law on Water and Nationalization)

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Author

Assistant Professor of Linguistics Department of Language Studies, Research and Development Institute of Humanities “SAMT”

10.30471/mssh.2026.11527.2693

Abstract

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: Metaphors (istiʿārih) are not merely literary devices but cognitive mechanisms through which individuals conceptualize the world, social relations, and institutional authority. Since the publication of Lakoff and Johnson’s seminal work Metaphors We Live By (1980), the role of conceptual metaphors (istiʿārih-yi mafhūmī) in shaping human understanding, social structures, and political power has been widely recognized. In legal texts, metaphors subtly convey ideology, structure authority, and legitimize state action.
The 1968 Iranian Water Nationalization Law (*Qānūn-i millī shudan-i āb-i sāl 1347 H.sh.*), a key policy regulating water ownership and management, provides a compelling case for examining metaphors’ role in law. This study applies critical metaphor analysis (taḥlīl-i intiqādī-yi istiʿārih) to explore how the law constructs water and state authority. The research addresses four questions:

What are the dominant conceptual metaphors in the law, and how do they structure meaning?
Which source and target domains are activated, and what conceptual features are mapped?
How do these metaphors reproduce ideologies and power relations in the socio-political context of 1960s Iran?
How does the metaphorical network legitimize state authority, shape resource management, and frame water in terms of development, justice, and protection?

By addressing these questions, the study illustrates how metaphors function as both cognitive and socio-political tools, revealing the intertwined nature of language, governance, and ideology.
Method: The study employs Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) by Charteris-Black (2004), integrating cognitive linguistics and critical discourse analysis. CMA identifies, interprets, and explains conceptual metaphors, uncovering ideological and power-related functions in texts.
Data sources: The full text of the 1968 Iranian Water Nationalization Law and related legislative documents.
Analysis stages: The analysis was conducted in four steps:

Pre-metaphor analysis (taḥlīl-i pīshāstiʿārī): Examining the context of the law’s production, producers, audience, and the historical-political background.
Metaphor identification (shināsāyī-yi istiʿārih): Systematic extraction and categorization of metaphorical expressions related to water, state authority, governance, justice, and development, based on linguistic indicators and semantic tension.
Metaphor interpretation (tafsīr-i istiʿārih): Analysis of source-to-target domain mappings, tone, and cognitive function of metaphors.
Metaphor explanation (tabyīn-i istiʿārih): Critical analysis within the framework of power and ideology, and analysis of the socio-political consequences of the metaphorical representation of water.

This methodology combines qualitative textual analysis with conceptual mapping, situating metaphors within historical and political contexts to strengthen validity. This approach ensures a rigorous interpretation of metaphorical structures, revealing both cognitive and discursive functions.
Results: The analysis identifies five primary conceptual metaphors in the law:

Water as National Wealth (Āb bih ʿUnvān-i Dārāyī-yi Millī)

Expressions such as “water as a national resource” and “under government control” frame water economically, legitimizing state ownership and centralized control. Mapping: Ownership, economic value, collective control, nationalization.

Government as Manager and Guardian (Dawlat bih ʿUnvān-i Mudīr va Nigahbān)

The state is metaphorically positioned as “manager” or “custodian,” establishing hierarchical governance and positioning citizens as dependent beneficiaries. Mapping: Supervision, hierarchical control, centralized decision-making.

Water as Controllable Technological Resource (Āb bih ʿUnvān-i Manbaʿ-i Qābil-i Kuntrul va Tīknīkī)

Phrases like “construction of infrastructure” and “flood control” depict water as subject to technical expertise, emphasizing rational, scientific control. Mapping: Controllability, technical rationality, management efficiency.

Water Distribution as Justice (Tawzīʿ-i Āb bih ʿUnvān-i ʿAdālat)

References such as “fair allocation” or “water rights” operationalize justice within bureaucratic frameworks. Mapping: Social fairness, regulatory compliance, state-mediated equity.

Water as Source of Life and National Survival (Āb bih ʿUnvān-i Manbaʿ-i Ḥayāt va Baqā-yi Millī)

Expressions like “vital resources” and “prevention of pollution” connect ecological necessity to national well-being, framing intervention as ethical and essential. Mapping: Essentiality, life-sustaining, societal and national continuity.




Key Concept


Conceptual Metaphor


Linguistic Examples


Source Domain


Target Domain


Metaphoric Mappings




National Ownership & Resources


Water as national wealth/asset


"Water is part of national wealth", "belongs to all people of Iran", "under government control"


Economy & Ownership


Water & Water Resources


Ownership, economic value, collective control, nationalization




Government Authority & Control


Government as manager/custodian


"Ministry of Water and Electricity is responsible", "permits issued by government"


Governance & Bureaucracy


Water Management


Supervision, hierarchical control, centralized decision-making




Development & Technical Control


Water as controllable force/development tool


"Construction of infrastructure", "flood control", "measurement of water usage"


Engineering & Technology


Water Resources


Controllability, technical rationality, management efficiency




Justice & Distribution


Water distribution as justice


"Fair distribution of water", "allocation rights", "violation of regulations"


Justice & Law


Water Allocation


Social fairness, regulatory compliance, state-mediated equity




Environmental & Protective Values


Water as vulnerable resource


"Protection of resources", "prevention of pollution", "safeguarding vital resources"


Ethics & Environmental Care


Water & Infrastructures


Vulnerability, necessity of protection, monitoring




Vitality & National Life


Water as source of life


"Vital resources of the country", "provision of drinking water", "sustainability of resources"


Life & Ecology


Water & Society


Essentiality, life-sustaining, societal and national continuity




 
This table demonstrates how metaphors structure discourse, link source and target domains, and provide a cognitive and ideological framework for legitimizing state authority.
Discussion and Conclusion: The 1968 law uses a structured metaphorical system to naturalize state authority and embed ideology. Water is conceptualized as economic wealth, a technical resource, a vital life element, and a mechanism for social justice. Key functions include:

Economic and Nationalist Legitimacy (Mashrūʿiyyat-i Iqiṣādī wa Millīgarāyānah): Water-as-wealth metaphors justify state ownership and centralization.
Bureaucratic and Technical Authority (Iqtidār-i Būrūkrātīk wa Fannī): Government-as-manager metaphors reinforce technocratic control.
Justice and Ethical Governance (ʿAdālat wa Ḥukmrānī-yi Akhlāqī): Water-as-justice metaphors translate normative ideals into enforceable regulations.
Life and National Survival (Ḥayāt wa Baqā-yi Millī): Biological metaphors connect water to national vitality, framing state intervention as a moral duty.

The law constructs a coherent ideology intertwining water, development, justice, and centralized state power. Metaphors operate simultaneously at cognitive, linguistic, and social levels, reproducing power asymmetries and marginalizing local governance (ḥukmrānī-yi maḥallī). Critical Metaphor Analysis demonstrates that metaphors are central to ideological and political legitimation, showing that legal texts can function as instruments shaping perception, justifying authority, and naturalizing government roles.
Conflict of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.

Keywords

References

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