Metaphors of War in English and Polish Political Discourse

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.