A CMA-based Research On Conceptual Metaphors In Media Discourse

Metaphor has been attracting extensive research in modern linguistics.Metaphor is not only a rhetorical device,but also an instrument for people to understand the world.Metaphors are widely used in the field of diplomacy and social media.The use of metaphors in diplomatic situations and social media helps express ideas and emotions while it avoids blunt words and expressions jeopardizing communication.In June 2016,the United Kingdom voted to Brexit.On January 31,2020,the UK officially exited from the European Union.In the case of Brexit,metaphors were extensively used in the news reporting the incident.The use of metaphors helped audience comprehend the policies and the attitudes of the British government.The present research collected over 100 pieces of news reports on Brexit issued by BBC from 2016 to 2020,and took them as the discourses for analysis from the perspective of critical metaphor analysis(CMA).Focusing on conceptual metaphor,the present research centered on the following three research questions:1.Which categories of conceptual metaphors were used in British Brexit news reports?2.What would be the similarities and differences in the diverse use of those conceptual metaphors in Brexit news reports?3.What would be the causes underlying the difference in the use of metaphors,and the interrelationship between the use of metaphors and communication effect?The research indicated that Brexit news reports used five major categories of metaphor:journey metaphor,war metaphor,school metaphor,family metaphor and human metaphor.Viewed from critical metaphor analysis,intensive use of metaphors in reporting Brexit helped communicate the policies and measures taken by the British government in an explicit way,and improved persuasiveness of government decisions.Critical metaphor analysis could help readers interpret the attitudes of public media and in a further step comprehend the policies that the government has taken for social governance and be aware of the historical and cultural implications of public media as well.