The container and force schemas in political discourse
The representation of military strategies in Barack Obama’s discourse
The paper focuses on metaphors based on the image schemas of container and force that were employed by U.S. President Barack Obama in the campaign against ISIL (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Systematic metaphors based on the schemas of container and force illustrate the strategy of the international alliance against ISIL’s activity. The strategy included the isolation of the organization, the restriction of the flow of foreign fighters and financial resources to the area controlled by ISIL as well as planning military operations designed to weaken the influence of the organization. The analysis has been conducted on the corpus of political speeches delivered by the speaker in the period from June 2014 to September 2016. Theoretical framework that is employed in the analysis of primary data is grounded in Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) which explores ideological aspects of discourse.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The container and force schemas
- 3.Theoretical framework for analysis
- 4.Data and methodology
- 5.Findings and discussion
- 5.1Systematic metaphors based on the container schema in Barack Obama’s discourse
- 5.1.1
the isolation of the isil’s container
- 5.1.2
money is a fluid that flows into the container
- 5.1.3
foreign fighters are a fluid that flows into the container
- 5.1.4
the central part of the container is the heart of isil
- 5.2Systematic metaphors based on the force schema in Barack Obama’s discourse
- 5.2.1
squeezing/ tightening the isil’s container is attacking
- 5.2.2
the machine metaphor – isil’s heart is a machine that pumps funds and propaganda outside the container
- 5.3The combination of the container and force schemas
- 6.Conclusion
- Note
-
References
References (44)
Alejo, R.
(
2010)
Where does the money go? An analysis of the container metaphor in economics: The market and the economy.
Journal of Pragmatics, 42(4), 1137–1150.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Barcelona, A.
(
2000)
On the plausibility of claiming a metonymic motivation for conceptual metaphor. In
Barcelona, A. (Ed.),
Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: A cognitive perspective (pp. 31–58). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Barcelona, A.
(
2002)
Clarifying and applying the notions of metaphor and metonymy within cognitive linguistics: An update. In
R. Dirven &
R. Pörings (Eds.),
Metaphor and metonymy in comparison and contrast (pp. 207–278). New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cameron, L., Low, G., & Maslen, R.
(
2010)
Finding systematicity in metaphor use. In
R. Maslen &
L. Cameron (Eds.),
Metaphor analysis: Research practice in applied linguistics, social sciences and the humanities (pp. 116–146). London: Equinox.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cap, P.
(
2002)
Explorations in political discourse: Methodological and critical perspectives. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cap, P.
(
2014)
Applying cognitive pragmatics to critical discourse studies: A proximization analysis of three public space discourses.
Journal of Pragmatics, 701, 16–30.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J.
(
2004)
Corpus approaches to Critical Metaphor Analysis. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J.
(
2005)
Politicians and rhetoric: the persuasive power of metaphor. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J.
(
2006)
Britain as a container: Immigration metaphors in the 2005 election campaign.
Discourse and Society, 17(5), 563–581.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J.
(
2007)
The communication of leadership: The design of leadership style. Oxon: Routledge.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Charteris-Black, J.
(
2014)
Analysing political speeches: rhetoric, discourse and metaphor. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chilton, P.
(
1996)
Security metaphors: Cold war discourse from containment to common house. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chilton, P.
(
2003)
Deixis and distance: President Clinton’s justification of intervention in Kosovo. In
M. Dedaić &
D. Nelson (Eds.),
At war with words (pp. 95–126). Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chilton, P.
(
2004)
Analysing political discourse: theory and practice. London: Routledge.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chilton, P., & Lakoff, G.
(
1995)
Foreign policy by metaphor. In
C. Schäffner &
A. Wenden (Eds.),
Language and Peace (pp. 37–59). Aldershot: Dartmouth.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chilton, P., & Schäffner, C.
Dorst, A. G.
(
2017)
Textual patterning of metaphor. In
E. Semino &
Z. Demjén (Eds.)
The Routledge handbook of metaphor and language (pp. 175–192). Oxon: Routledge.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gibbs, R. W., Tendahl, M., & Okonski, L.
(
2011)
Inferring pragmatic messages from metaphor.
Lodz Papers in Pragmatics 7(1), 3–28.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Goatly, A.
(
1997)
The language of metaphors. London: Routledge.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Johnson, M.
(
1987)
The body in the mind: The bodily basis of meaning, imagination, and reason. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z.
(
2004)
Metaphor and emotion: Language, culture, and body in human feeling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z.
(
2005)
Metaphor in culture: Universality and variation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kövecses, Z.
(
2010)
Metaphor: a practical introduction. New York: Oxford University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lakoff, G.
(
1987)
Women, fire and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
(
1980)
Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
(
1999)
Philosophy in the flesh:The embodied mind and its challenge to Western thought. New York: Basic Books.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Maslen, R.
(
2017)
Finding systematic metaphors. In
E. Semino &
Z. Demjén (Eds.),
The Routledge handbook of metaphor and language (pp. 88–101). Oxon: Routledge.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mason, Z. J.
(
2004)
CorMet: A computational, corpus-based conventional metaphor extraction system.
Computational Linguistics, 30(1), 23–44.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2003)
Ideological functions of metaphor: The conceptual metaphors of health and illness in public discourse. In
R. Dirven,
R. Frank &
M. Pütz (Eds.),
Cognitive models in language and thought (pp. 327–352). New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2004)
The heart of the European body politic: British and German perspectives on Europe’s central organ.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 25(5–6), 437–452.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2016a)
Political metaphor analysis: Discourse and scenarios. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2016b)
What can metaphor theory contribute to the study of political discourse? In
M. Degani,
P. Frassi &
M. I. Lorenzetti (Eds.),
The Languages of politics/La politique et ses langages Volume 1 (pp. 9–28). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2017a)
Metaphor and persuasion in politics. In
E. Semino &
Z. Demjén (Eds.),
The Routledge handbook of metaphor and language (pp. 309–322). Oxon: Routledge.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Musolff, A.
(
2017b)
Metaphor, irony and sarcasm in public discourse.
Journal of Pragmatics, 1091, 95–104.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Niemeier, S.
(
2000)
Straight from the heart – metonymic and metaphorical explorations. In
A. Barcelona (Ed.),
Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: A cognitive perspective (pp. 195–213). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Peña, M. S.
(
2008)
Dependency systems for image-schematic patterns in a usage-based approach to language.
Journal of Pragmatics 40(6), 1041–1066.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Pragglejaz Group
(
2007)
MIP: a method for identifying metaphorically used words in discourse.
Metaphor and Symbol 22 (1), pp. 1–39.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Reali, F., & Arciniegas, C.
Semino, E.
(
2008)
Metaphor in discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Siegel, A. A., & Tucker, J. A.
Talmy, L.
(
1988)
Force dynamics in language and cognition.
Cognitive Science 12(1), 49–100.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wilson, J.
(
1990)
Politically Speaking: The Pragmatic Analysis of Political Language. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (1)
Cited by 1 other publications
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.