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Part of
Dynamism in Metaphor and Beyond
Edited by Herbert L. Colston, Teenie Matlock and Gerard J. Steen
[Metaphor in Language, Cognition, and Communication 9] 2022
► pp. 191–204

Metaphors and meaning-making in young people’s talk about climate change

| University of Leeds
| Lancaster University
Climate change is of especial relevance to young people, yet studies have found that there is no consistent approach to teaching about it in terms of either scientific facts or societal implications. In the UK, it is taught in different elements of the curriculum, but as knowledge to be tested, and rarely if ever as perhaps the most urgent issue facing our species. We explored young people’s understandings of climate change through a metaphor analysis of 41 group interviews with school students in the north of England. Our analysis supports Gibbs’ view of metaphor as dynamic, embodied and hugely powerful in thought and language, and also highlights its potential for spreading misinformation.
Keywords: climate change, science education, socio-scientific issues, metaphor
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Metaphor in science and education
    • Metaphor and the discourse of climate change
    • Analysing metaphor in discourse
  • Data and method
  • Analysis
    • Greenhouses and high/constant temperatures
    • Human beings as plants
    • Greenhouses, blankets and layers
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 9 September 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/milcc.9.10dei
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