Iryna Pinich, Kyiv National Linguistic University, Ukraine
published in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Love and Relationship Studies, 6-8 March, 2026
You can see the full video recording of this presentation at the YouTube channel of the International Institute of Love Studies
Introduction
Within the Extended Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Kövecses, 2020), conceptual metaphors are understood as context-dependent and shaped by situational, bodily, conceptual-cognitive, and discursive factors (Pinich, 2023). Building on this premise, the present study investigates whether wartime experiences influence the conceptualization of ROMANTIC LOVE among young Ukrainians. The working hypothesis is that the ongoing war may foreground new or contextually salient source domains that modify the traditional conceptual system of romantic love, which typically does not include the WAR domain.
The study aims to identify current tendencies in the conceptualization of ROMANTIC LOVE and to examine how contextual factors – particularly those linked to wartime realities – affect metaphor formation. The findings are expected to demonstrate the dynamic, adaptive nature of conceptual metaphors and reveal contextually and culturally grounded mechanisms underlying the conceptualization of emotion in contemporary Ukrainian discourse.
Methodology and method
An empirical survey was conducted online in March 2025, targeting young adults aged 18–23 (N = 72) from various unoccupied regions of Ukraine, with the majority residing in the Kyiv region. The questionnaire included metaphor-elicitation prompts, inviting participants to share associations by completing the open-ended statement, “Romantic love is like…”, and folk model tasks, presented as questions asking participants to describe their personal understanding of ideal, happy, unhappy, and eternal love (e.g., “What does happy love mean to you?”). These tasks aimed to capture participants’ intuitive, culturally grounded, metaphorical ways of thinking about love.
The analysis proceeded in four stages: (1) qualitative extraction of LOVE metaphors; (2) categorization by source domains; (3) comparison with dictionary-based conventional conceptualizations; and (4) qualitative interpretation of the most salient source domains.
Highlights of results
The results reveal a clear dissociation between the concepts of LOVE and WAR. Notably, the conceptual system of ROMANTIC LOVE does not draw on WAR as a source domain, even though the respondents’ lived context is defined by ongoing conflict. Instead, the metaphor-elicitation task highlights consistent associations between ROMANTIC LOVE and non-destructive NATURAL PHENOMENA – such as rain, sunsets, warm seasons, and wind – as well as the domains of FLOWER, WARMTH, MAGIC, and HOUSE/HOME. The folk models of HAPPY LOVE portray love as a relationship of BOND, supported by values of mutuality, trust, happiness, stability, and security. Meanwhile, the conceptual network of IDEAL LOVE is grounded in the domains of JOURNEY, UNITY and BOND, highlighting progression over time, shared direction, and sustained commitment, with compromise, trust, and mutual support emerging as central attitudinal features.
Discussion and conclusions
Overall, the findings highlight the contextual dependence of emotion conceptualization, reflected in the prominence of metonymic, embodied associations of a generic nature – such as SAFETY FOR EMOTIONAL SECURITY and CARE FOR AFFECTION – which ground metaphors like LOVE IS WARMTH, LOVE IS FLOWER, and LOVE IS HOUSE/HOME. These associations may stem from the context-induced insufficiency of corresponding embodied experiences, which increases the salience of metaphorical patterns that were previously marginal while attenuating those that were traditionally dominant. Thus, although the dominance of WAR in Ukraine’s discursive and conceptual-cognitive contexts conspicuously marginalizes the concept of LOVE, the heightened metaphorical salience is maintained through the stabilizing influence of bodily and situational contexts. This compensatory mechanism may reflect a universal pattern of context-dependent conceptual metaphor construction.
References
Kövecses, Z. (2020).Extended conceptual metaphor theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pinich, I. (2023). LOVE is all you need: An attempt at critical conceptual account. Lege artis. Language yesterday, today, tomorrow. The Journal of University of SS Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, VIII(1), 92–109.