The paper titled "Figurative Language Used in Saudi News Headlines Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19)" by Fadi Maher Al-Khasawneh focuses on analyzing the types of figurative language employed in Saudi news headlines about the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to explore how figurative language was used to convey information about this novel health crisis in Saudi media.
The research utilized a descriptive qualitative design, analyzing headlines from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) published between February 15 and March 31, 2020. Data was collected through document analysis of relevant headlines and analyzed using an inductive frequency method.
The findings revealed seven types of figurative language used in the SPA headlines related to COVID-19: personification (36.7%), hyperbole (26.8%), understatement (20.9%), paradox (6.9%), synecdoche (5.9%), apostrophe (1.9%), and metonymy (0.9%). Personification was the most frequently used figure of speech, often depicting the virus as an enemy to be combated. The various types of figurative language served functions such as expanding meaning, increasing readers' imagination, adding emotional intensity, and expressing complex ideas concisely.
The study concludes that while figurative language can make headlines more engaging and memorable, it may also risk misinterpretation by readers unable to discern the intended meaning. The author suggests that future research could explore figurative language use in other media formats or employ alternative theoretical frameworks for analysis. Overall, this study contributes to understanding how Saudi media employed linguistic techniques to communicate about the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.