Article published In:
Metaphor and the Social WorldVol. 14:2 (2024) ► pp.304–321
Metaphors for multiculturalism in the Canadian context
Although Canada is reputed for being a multicultural society, Canadians’ opinions vary regarding the extent to
which multiculturalism should be promoted. Examining metaphorical language in discourse about multiculturalism may reveal which
metaphors are typically used to endorse it and which ones are typically used to express a more skeptical stance. This study
analyzed 646 opinion pieces regarding multiculturalism published in Canadian newspapers. Linguistic metaphors were identified and
then grouped under themes. The texts were categorized according to the authors’ stance, and instantiations of the metaphor themes
were tallied to determine if some occur more frequently in discourse that promotes multiculturalism compared to discourse that
expresses reservations. Some metaphor themes were instantiated more often either in texts painting a positive picture of
multicultural society (e.g., a multicultural society is a varied, multi-component work of art or craft) or in ones
expressing reservations (e.g., multiculturalism is a destabilizing or divisive force). Such contrasts were nonetheless
attenuated by the way a single metaphor theme can be used to serve different rhetorical purposes. It also appears that writers are
not always aware of the entailments of the metaphors they use, especially if these are conventionalized phrases.
Keywords: Conceptual Metaphor Theory, conceptual metaphor, metaphor theme, multiculturalism, multicultural society, discourse analysis, Canada
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Metaphors for immigration
- 3.Earlier publications about metaphors for multiculturalism
- 4.The present study
- 4.1Rationale and research questions
- 4.2Method
- 4.3Results and discussion
- 5.Conclusion and limitations
- Notes
-
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