Seminar paper from the year 2023 in the subject Communications - Intercultural Communication, grade: 2, Kozminski University, language: English, abstract: This thesis provides an analysis of the use of metaphorical expressions concerning war in political discourse from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. It is divided into three chapters. The aim of the first chapter is to present the theoretical framework for the practical part of the thesis. It begins with pivotal theories and concepts behind metaphors and their importance for not only the language but also the world around. In this section, first, a definition of metaphor and some key concepts concerning metaphor such as conceptual metaphor, structural metaphor, conventional metaphor and the scope of metaphor will be illustrated one by one in detail. Among numerous definitions of the phenomenon suggested by scholars, only those capturing peculiar traits of metaphor will be presented. Secondly, metaphor will be characterized as a basic and crucial mean of communication, for both laypersons and professionals. Chapter two is devoted to the presentation of researches on metaphor in political discourse. As first, the theories on metaphor and its function in political discourse will be described. Although recognized and acknowledged, the omnipresence of metaphor in political discourse raises a question of its function. The following chapter is an individualistic attempt to answer the following question: is metaphor construed as an ornamental figure of speech or symbolic trope, or does it influence the way political issues are comprehended and evaluated? Political discourse is driven by underlying conceptual metaphors deeply rooted in the ideology and cultural environment of the speaker. The more distant the object, the more important the vehicle of comprehension metaphor is. Chapter three analyzes metaphorical expressions of war in political discourse using cognitive linguistics. It studies data from Polish and English politicians' public addresses, revealing mappings between WAR and politics. This metaphor is deeply ingrained in citizens' minds, readily applied due to its association with conflicts among groups in politics.

Until a century ago, a metaphor was just a mere figure of speech, but since the development of discourse analysis a metaphor has become more than merely incidental to the content of the arguments or findings. Students and scholars in political studies know the importance of metaphors in electoral and policy-related politics, coming across metaphors that are, knowingly or unknowingly, influencing our perception of politics. This book is the first to develop new methodological approaches to understand and analyse the use of metaphor in political science and international relations. It does this by: Combining theory with case studies in order to advance substantive work in politics and international relations that focuses on metaphor Expands the range of empirical case studies that employ this category descriptively and also in explanatory logic Advances research that investigates the role of metaphor in empirical and discourse-based methodologies, thus building on results from other disciplines, notably linguistics and hermeneutic philosophy. This innovative study will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, international relations and communication studies.

Political metaphors and related figurative discourse tools are characterised by their variability and contentiousness. Using them, discourse participants try to gain competitive advantage over others by offering their audiences new meaning nuances, challenging each other and announcing political initiatives. It is here that metaphor as a means to change meanings – and thus, to change social and political reality – comes into its own. Political Metaphor Analysis provides an innovative approach to the study of figurative language use in political discourse by presenting empirical analyses based on a large corpus of political metaphors and metonymies, linking these analyses to theoretical positions and assessing their limitations and perspectives for further exploration. The 'classic' model of conceptual metaphor analysis, pioneered by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and expanded and amended over the past thirty-five years, is critically examined with regard to new findings about the variation, historicity, pragmatic exploitation, comprehension and interpretation of metaphors. As a central new analytical category, the notion of “metaphor scenario” is proposed and tested against various sub-sets of data. It allows to link hypothesised conceptual metaphors to narrative, argumentative and evaluative patterns in actual discourse and understanding processes, so that their cognitive significance can be more reliably gauged and theoretically modelled.

The study of metaphor is now firmly established as a central topic within cognitive science and the humanities. This book explores the critical role that conceptual metaphors play in language, thought, cultural and expressive actions. It evaluates the arguments and evidence for and against conceptual metaphors across academic disciplines.

This edited volume examines how metaphors and related phenomena (metonymies, symbols, cultural models, stereotypes) lead to the discursive construal of a common element that brings the nation together. The central idea is that metaphor use must be questioned to lay bare the processes and the discursive power behind them. The chapters examine a range of contemporary and historical, monomodal and multimodal discourses, including politicians’ discourse, presidential speeches, newspapers, TV series, Catholic homilies, colonialist discourse, and various online sources. The approaches taken include political science, international relations, cultural studies, and linguistics. All contributions feature discursive constructivist views of metaphor, with clear sociocultural grounding, and the notion of metaphor as a framing device in constructing various aspects of nations and national identity. The volume will appeal to scholars in discourse analysis, metaphor studies, media studies, nationalism studies, and political science.

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, University of Marburg, language: English, abstract: When it comes to framing the war linguistically, metaphors have always been key for many politicians in conveying their message and distinguishing in a simplistic manner between good and evil. Employing metaphors in political discourse helps politicians simplify their content and make the audience understand their message more clearly, as Lakoff notes: “Abstractions and enormously complex situations are routinely understood via metaphor” (1991: 25). Lakoff further describes the use of metaphors as something not necessarily good or bad, but rather depicts it as a stylistic device that is widely common even in everyday language. Therefore, it seems highly interesting to look even closer at how metaphors are being used in the context of war-related speech in the United States. The focus of this paper will be on metaphors used in the State of the Union Address, since I assume that the latter is perfectly suited for an exemplary analysis of how war-related metaphors are constructed and which specific purpose they serve.