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Article published In: Review of Cognitive Linguistics
Vol. 20:2 (2022) ► pp.412–437

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Ideological and explanatory uses of the COVID-19 as a war metaphor in science

ORCiD logo with link | University of Lorraine
Published online: 8 December 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00117.aug
Abstract
This paper proposes to investigate the varying implications of the war metaphor in scientific publications discussing the COVID-19 pandemic. The corpus under study is composed of articles retrieved from the international scientific journal Nature, the weekly magazine New Scientist, and the international agency World Health Organisation. With a focus on three main characteristics of the pandemic – body health, medical solutions, and global impact of the virus – the present study asks to what extent the use of the war metaphor can vary to offer different viewpoints on the pandemic. The particular view on the virus – through metaphorical use – depends on the readers each publication targets, the pressure to find solutions, the editorial requirements, and the aim of the publication. We conclude that the war metaphor may not systematically be associated with disputable interpretations (as reported in literature), it also serves an explanatory function.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The COVID-19 pandemic as a war: The role of scientific communication
    • 2.1Frames and metaphors in context
    • 2.2Metaphors in science
    • 2.3COVID-19 and the war metaphor
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Identification of war metaphors
    • 3.2Interpretation of metaphorical expressions in context
    • 3.3The corpus
  • 4.The body as a battlefield
  • 5.The victims’ experiences
  • 6.International fights
  • 7.Summary, discussion, and concluding remarks
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Data available at:
  • References
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