CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS IN GREY’S ANATOMY: A COGNITIVE LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL DISCOURSE IN SEASON ONE[1]
Marianna Chiricenco
1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia
Abstract
This study examines the conceptual metaphors used to construct medical discourse in Season One of the television series Grey’s Anatomy. Drawing on a 57,000-word corpus of episode scripts, the analysis identifies dominant metaphorical frameworks—including medicine is a competitive game, doctors are fighters / hospital is a battlefield, and the human body is a machine—that shape how clinical practice and professional identity are represented. The study adopts a cognitive linguistic perspective informed by Conceptual Metaphor Theory and extends it through insights from multimodal metaphor research (Forceville & Urios-Aparisi, 2009). It demonstrates how verbal dialogue, visual cues, sound design, and character behaviour work together to realise complex metaphorical meanings that reflect both the scientific and emotional dimensions of medical work. The findings highlight the narrative and pedagogical significance of metaphor in medical dramas and point to the value of analysing subsequent seasons to further understand the cultural and communicative functions of figurative language in popular media.
Keywords: Conceptual metaphor; Multimodal metaphor; Medical discourse; Grey’s Anatomy; Metaphor in media.
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Corpus
Rhimes, S. (Executive Producer). (2005). Grey’s Anatomy: Season 1 [TV series]. ABC Studios / Shondaland.
How to cite this paper: Chiricenco, M. (2023). Conceptual metaphors in Grey’s Anatomy: A cognitive linguistic analysis of medical discourse in Season one. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 16(2), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2023.16.2.2
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[1] The current paper was elaborated as part of the MA course in Metaphorology in contemporary media, led by Professor Teodora Popescu, academic year 2022-2023, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania.