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Article published In: Aspects of Metaphor
Edited by Maria Theodoropoulou
[Review of Cognitive Linguistics 23:1] 2025
► pp. 182–207

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Zero-sum or Win-win Game?

Comparative studies on sports/game metaphors and ideological framing in economic news on Sino, EU and US trade disputes

ORCiD logo with link | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Published online: 9 November 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00164.cai
Abstract
Metaphors can express ideological and evaluative positions. However, comparative studies on the framing implications of sports/game metaphors in Western and Chinese contexts remain underexplored. This study examines how journalists in China, the UK, and the US use sports/game metaphors to frame trade disputes in comparable English-language economic news based on a context-sensitive and hierarchical analytical framework. Results reveal the prevalence of sports/game metaphors in both Chinese and Western texts. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the UK and US texts exhibit socio-cultural preferences for associating specific sports/game scenarios that are salient in Western cultures, e.g., rugby, with trade disputes, and favor a competition narrative. However, the Chinese texts favor a coopetition narrative, suggesting both competition and win-win cooperation. This study adds new insights into cultural variations in the use and framing implications of sports/game metaphors in Western and Chinese economic discourse to express ideological standpoints towards similar economic issues.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Metaphor, framing and sports/game
    • 2.1Metaphor and framing
    • 2.2Sports/game metaphors in economic discourse
  • 3.Methods and materials
    • 3.1The data
    • 3.2Wmatrix as a filter for finding metaphor candidates
    • 3.3Metaphor patterns identification: Mixing and extension
    • 3.4An analytical model of metaphorical framing
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Frequency of linguistic sports/game metaphors
    • 4.2Mini-narratives analysis within sports/game scenarios
    • 4.3Framing implications of narratives within sports/game scenarios
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Conflict of interest
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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