Cultural Conceptualizations of Wedding and Mourning in Iranian films: A Cultural Linguistics and Transpositional Grammar Analysis of Ezdevaj be sabk-e Irani and Booye Kafoor, Atre Yas

Cinema, as a multimodal medium, provides a unique platform for representing cultural conceptualizations. The present study, conducted within the frameworks of Cultural Linguistics and Transpositional Grammar, examines meaning representation in two Iranian films: Ezdevaj be Sabk-e Irani and Bu-ye Kafur, Atr-e Yas. The combination of these frameworks allows for a comprehensive analysis; Cultural Linguistics explores underlying mental and cultural conceptual structures, while Transpositional Grammar provides tools to analyze how meanings are conveyed through various forms and functions across multiple modes. Within cultural conceptualization, this study focuses specifically on cultural metaphor. Data were gathered through close observation of the films’ linguistic, visual, bodily, spatial, and auditory actions and were analyzed using a descriptive–analytical method. Findings indicate that in Ezdevaj be Sabk-e Irani, speech, body, and objects—including the sofreh-ye aghd—serve as primary means of meaning transfer. Functions of parental agency and reference are prominent in reinforcing traditions. The metaphors [girl is object] and [girl is fruit] occur most frequently, conveying notions of ownership and gendered transfer. Conversely, in Bu-ye Kafur, Atr-e Yas, speech and space play central roles in constructing meaning within an individual and existential domain, where structural functions operate between the real and abstract. Furthermore, the metaphors [life is journey] and [death is journey] guide the narrative, portraying death not as an end but as a transition. Ultimately, these films present a collectivist, tradition-centered model for wedding representations and an individual-centered, existential model for mourning.