Corpus-based Critical Metaphor Analysis Of Reports On The Work Of The Government

Metaphor has been the focus of attention for most linguists. Traditionally, metaphors, simply viewed as a rhetoric device, which was far from the consideration of the aspect of cognition and intercommunication, resulting in less comprehensive explanation of the metaphor mechanism. However, the contemporary researches consider metaphor as a cognition pattern accounting for the universal way people learn about the world do, more than a rhetoric device. Lakoff interpreted metaphor from a new angle, which considered metaphor as a cognitive way to comprehend one aspect of a concept in terms of another, introducing metaphor into the field of cognitive science authentically. What’s more, a great number of linguists in the past decades have focused the political languages from metaphoric perspective. Charteris-Black (2004) proposed the theory critical metaphor analysis (CMA), marking on a new metaphor analysis approach which integrates corpus linguistic, critical discourse analysis and cognitive linguistic with intention to reveal ideology, attitude and beliefs concealed in the discourses. CMA analyzes metaphors through the hidden ideology by combining language analysis, cognition and social culture. However, few have conducted metaphor researches on Chinese political discourses.Chinese government work report is typical of PRC’s official documents. As a representative political discourse with authority, the Report on the Work of the Government is the concentrated demonstration of the Party’s will and ideological line, which deeply reflect government’s ideology and governing concept.Guided by Charteris-Black’s CMA theory, the research attempts to conduct a corpus based analysis of conceptual metaphors in Reports on the Work of the Government from the year2003to2012; Both the qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed to classify and analyze the conceptual metaphors to explore the pattern and development of metaphors in Chinese political discourses, thus providing the insight into the ideology of Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party’s governing concept.Data analysis shows that nine dominant conceptual metaphors occur in the Report on the Work of the Government:journey metaphor, building metaphor, machine metaphor, plant metaphor, water metaphor, war metaphor, family metaphor, mechanism metaphor. Some new metaphors expressions appear in the Report on the Work of the Government each year, nevertheless, these major conceptual metaphors patterns have not changed. These nine dominant conceptual metaphors are frequently used in Chinese which the domain sources chose are familiar by people. Ordinary people are more likely to accept metaphors by mapping these familiar things to the target domain as well as converting abstract political concepts into vivid and familiar languages.As is shown, journey metaphor, building metaphor, and machine metaphor are most frequently used in the Report on the Work of the Government. The findings suggest as developing country China’s primary goal at present is to develop economy and improve people’s standards of living, responding to the need for a peaceful and stable external environment, and a space for active intercommunion and cooperation with developed countries.The employment of other conceptual metaphors also indicates that Chinese government strives to construct a harmonious socialist society and delivers the strong will to wholeheartedly serve the people.