Clouds, Precipitation and Storms: Language and Culture Perspectives

Abstract

The article aims to study natural phenomena such as clouds, precipitation and storms in terms of language and cultural dimensions by collecting information from online media, including 140 names of tropical cyclones and 64 cyclone names. The findings reveal the following characteristics: Clouds: the features that differentiate the four types of clouds based on their descriptive attributes are shape, floatation, color and rain potential; Precipitation: there are five types namely mist, rain, drizzle, snow and hail which are differentiated by state, size and source of origin; Storms: thunderstorms, tornadoes and tropical cyclones, which are differentiated by formation and speed. These natural phenomena have a cyclical relationship that influences all things in the world. The meanings of tropical cyclone names were found to be the names of entities, consisting of 79 animate names, 34 inanimate names, 11 supernatural names, 11 event names, and two “association” names. In terms of 64 names of cyclones, their semantic domains were found to be as follows: 35 inanimate names, 23 animal names, two event names, and four abstract names. The storms have both positive and negative impacts on life, natural resources, the environment and assets, as reflected in news. These natural phenomena have inspired many people to create a space for the exchange of knowledge and sharing beautiful images of clouds on social media as a means of expressing their appreciation and wonder of them. They have also become part of popular culture and the creative arts in the form of names for works of music, movies and novels, as well as the content of fiction related to natural phenomena.