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Cognitive Linguistic Studies
Vol. 6:1 (2019) ► pp.130–157

Communicating attitudes through metaphor

A case study of euro adoption

 | Vilnius University
Metaphor analysis in real-world discourse is increasingly becoming the focus of many cognitive studies. Accordingly, this paper seeks to investigate how euro adoption in Lithuania in 2015 was metaphorically communicated by the media. The study is carried out within the framework of Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA), which was developed by Charteris-Black (2005, 2011), Musolff (2008), Hart (2010). Thus, a three-step metaphor analysis procedure (Identified→ Interpreted→ Explained) was employed in order to analyze the attitude towards euro adoption presented in Lithuanian media. The findings show that the euro is most frequently conceptualized as a living organism with different scenarios (active agent and passive agent) being realized linguistically. In the final stage – explanation – metaphors were analyzed from a rhetorical perspective, which means that an attempt was made to look into how metaphors communicate positive or negative attitudes about euro adoption in the media. The results demonstrate that personification of the euro makes the idea of euro adoption more understandable, it activates a range of emotions and evaluates it. This leads to further insights about the way the media exercises its power in an attempt to persuade people and manipulate their attitudes, emotions and opinions.
Keywords: metaphor in media discourse, euro adoption, personification, communication of attitudes
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Metaphor in economic discourse
  • 3.Corpus
  • 4.Methodology
  • 5.The identification and interpretation of metaphors
  • 6.Personification of the euro
    • 6.1The journey scenario
    • 6.2The scenario of exerting power
    • 6.3The scenario of the euro as an affected participant
    • 6.4The scenario of transitory state: from active to passive, from passive to active
    • 6.5The scenario of relationships
  • 7.Metaphor explanation: Conveying attitudes
  • 8.Concluding reflections
  • Notes
  • References
  • Sources
Published online: 12 July 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cogls.00033.cib
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