Language plays a fundamental role in shaping how individuals conceptualize, interpret, and describe the natural environment. In educational settings, particularly in Life Sciences study programs, students often rely on metaphorical language to express their relationship with nature and environment. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) developed by Lakoff and Johnson (2003), this study investigates how first-year university students conceptualize nature through conventional metaphors. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students enrolled in various Life Sciences fields, including horticulture, landscaping, genetics, biotechnology, and biology at the University of Life Sciences (ULS) in Timisoara. Using qualitative content analysis (Silverman, 2006), the study identifies recurring metaphorical expressions and categorizes them into three primary source domains: ANIMALS/BEINGS, HABITATS, and OBJECTS/FEELINGS. The findings suggest that students frequently conceptualize nature as a nurturing parental figure, a home-like habitat, or an emotional entity that evokes feelings of connection, gratitude, enchantment, or concern. These metaphors reflect broader sociocultural interpretations of human–nature relationships and reveal how environmental awareness and academic specialization influence linguistic representations of nature. The study contributes to research in environmental linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) education by highlighting the importance of metaphor awareness in Life Sciences communication and environmental discourse.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP), ecolinguistics, semiotics, teaching, humanities, life sciences.

environmental engineering

Presentation: poster