In:Cultural Linguistics and Critical Discourse Studies
Edited by Monika Reif and Frank Polzenhagen
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 103] 2023
► pp. 36–51
Conceptualising presidential elections
Competing metaphorical models, and alternative approaches to their critical analysis
Published online: 9 November 2023
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.103.02jak
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.103.02jak
Abstract
This contribution investigates the metaphorical conceptualisation
of US-presidential elections. A solid onomasiological metaphor study (cf.
Jäkel 2003) brings out
alternative and even competing models. One point of this paper is to decide
which approach to the analysis of political metaphor is better suited for a
critical discourse analysis: Steen’s
(2008, 2011a) concept of deliberate metaphor on
the one hand, or Charteris-Black’s
(2012) purposeful metaphor on the other
hand. This is discussed on the basis of authentic discourse data from the
US-presidential campaign of 2016 and the 2018 midterm elections. Following a
concise analysis of some conventional metaphors instatiating standard
alternative models in the public media domain, Donald Trump’s and Hillary
Clinton’s uses of metaphor are compared to results of an investigation of
former US-president Barack Obama’s metaphorical language in a corpus of
eight of his major speeches held between 2008 and 2012 (cf. Jäkel 2012).
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Conceptualising presidential elections: Some standard alternative metaphors
- 3.Deliberate or purposeful? How to analyse metaphors in political rhetoric
- 4.Competing metaphorical models: Trump versus Clinton
- 5.Obama’s alternative model
- 6.Summary and conclusion
Notes References
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