Analysis Of English Political Speeches From The Perspective Of Metaphor

The present study, adopting conceptual metaphor as theoretical frame and employing quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis, analyzes the 55 American presidential inaugural addresses in which the author researches the features of the metaphor model, the construction of metaphor, and the illustration of metaphor. The author concludes ten conceptual metaphors and 5962 metaphorical sentences after identification, classification, drawing statistical chart of conceptual metaphor. The author points out the four features of conceptual metaphors in American presidential inaugural addresses: the stability of metaphor, the variability of metaphor, the directness of metaphor and the indirectness of metaphor. The author finds the uses of conceptual metaphors in political addresses relate to the temporary social events, reflect American politics and political development.The aim of present study is to provide a perspective via conceptual metaphor in order to recognize the nature of political action and to help readers take a correct attitude toward the western political speeches, which is conductive to the improvement of their metaphor awareness.