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The evolution of protectionism metaphors in English-language media

A diachronic study across China, the UK, and the US (2001–2019)

ORCiD logo with link | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Published online: 19 September 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.24053.cai
Abstract
This study investigates the evolution of protectionism metaphors in English-language media across China, the UK, and the US from 2001 to 2019. It reveals varying degrees of fundamental and incremental changes with cultural variations in the three corpora based on a refined metaphor evolution analytical model. Despite observed changes, the thematic contexts of the examined metaphors remain relatively stable within the UK, US and Chinese narratives with cultural variations and similarities. The Chinese corpus employs metaphors suggesting recurring themes that conceptualize protectionism in ‘dual roles’ and often frame China as a victim. In contrast, the UK and US corpora frame protectionism as a growing and contentious force. The consistent use of the ‘rising protectionism’ frame across three corpora suggests a shared bodily experience and global economic framework. This study contributes to metaphor theory by providing empirical insights into the diachronic metaphorical framing of protectionism from the UK, US and Chinese perspectives. It also contributes to proposing a refined analytical model for understanding metaphor evolution in global economic narratives.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Metaphorical framing in economic discourse
    • 2.1Frames and metaphor
    • 2.2Diachronic studies in metaphorical framing
  • 3.Methods and materials
    • 3.1The data
    • 3.2Metaphor identification
    • 3.3Vehicle grouping
    • 3.4Metaphor evolution analysis model
    • 3.5Statistical methods
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Salience of the topic of protectionism
    • 4.2Fundamental changes in protectionism metaphors over time
      • 4.2.1Evolution of all systematic metaphors
      • 4.2.2Evolution of frequently-used systematic metaphors
    • 4.3Incremental changes in protectionism metaphors over time
      • 4.3.1fight/war metaphors undergoing incremental changes
      • 4.3.2living organism metaphors undergoing incremental changes
      • 4.3.3movement metaphors undergoing incremental changes
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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