In MORAL POLITICS George Lakoff (2002) claims that political orientations are based on family structures and functions. These are expressed by metaphors. This paper discusses the possibility of detecting political metaphors on the base of the Lakoff approach. The German TV discussion of MERKEL and SCHRÖDER in 2006 serve as the corpus. Several fields of metaphors are discussed: WAR, SPORTS, etc. An interesting American approach is tested on a European corpus.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Metaphor-an Overview
2.1. The Ancient Definition
2.2. The Conceptual Approach
3. Metaphors in use
3.1. Science
3.2. Law
3.3. Religion
3.4. Politics
4. Why Metaphors in Politics
5. Metaphors in German Politics
6. Conclusion
7. References
8. Appendix
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines the role and application of conceptual metaphors in political discourse, specifically investigating whether theoretical frameworks developed by George Lakoff and others for the U.S. political system can be effectively applied to German politics. The work aims to identify the metaphorical structures used by politicians to persuade the electorate and explores the potential impact of these linguistic choices on political perception.
- Theoretical definitions of metaphor, covering ancient views to the conceptual approach.
- Functional roles of metaphors in specialized fields such as science, law, and religion.
- Analysis of metaphors within political rhetoric and their psychological effects on voters.
- A comparative examination of metaphorical usage in a televised German political debate.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 The Ancient Definition
When the ancient Greek developed a high political culture the culture of metaphors seems to start. Aristotle defined metaphor as an event where a word is substituted by another one; today this approach has been titled the substitution theory. By Aristotle’s definition the substituting word is actually not really fitting the position of the substituted word. The metaphor is seen out of context but still bound to the literal word by similarity or analogy. This view on metaphor has been seen as the traditional one. It dominates the definition until today. However, traditions have to be challenged and even more when logical mistakes rule the principal of such an approach. A main mistake is to see metaphor out of any context. To decide whether a word is meant literally or metaphorically one has to be aware that these are not properties of words but properties of utterances. Utterances can be made in different places at different times with different intentions and therefore will have different meanings. It is obvious that the traditional view is problematic but a more recent approach seems to be promising.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the research focus on conceptual metaphors in politics and introduces the core methodology regarding the analysis of political discourse.
2. Metaphor-an Overview: Explains the historical development of metaphor theory, contrasting the traditional substitution theory with the modern conceptual approach.
3. Metaphors in use: Provides an overview of how metaphorical language functions across various social sectors including science, law, and religion.
4. Why Metaphors in Politics: Discusses the strategic importance of metaphors in political rhetoric for inducing affect and shaping voter attitudes.
5. Metaphors in German Politics: Details the empirical analysis of a televised debate between Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schröder to evaluate Lakoff's models in a German context.
6. Conclusion: Evaluates the findings, noting the difficulties in applying abstract metaphor models to the multifaceted reality of European political discourse.
Keywords
Conceptual Metaphor, Political Discourse, Lakoff, German Politics, Rhetoric, Cognitive Linguistics, Metaphorical Mapping, Source Domain, Target Domain, Political Debate, Angela Merkel, Gerhard Schröder, Framing, Moral Politics, Linguistic Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how conceptual metaphors are utilized within political communication and discourse.
Which fields are analyzed as contexts for metaphor usage?
The author analyzes metaphors in science, law, religion, and primarily in the domain of politics.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The study aims to test the applicability of George Lakoff's American-centric political metaphor theories to the German political landscape.
Which scientific method is employed?
The author performs a qualitative and quantitative analysis of a corpus consisting of a transcript from a televised German election debate.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers theoretical definitions, the function of metaphors in various sectors, an analysis of political rhetoric, and a comparative study of German politicians.
What are the characterizing keywords of this work?
Key terms include Conceptual Metaphor, Political Discourse, Cognitive Linguistics, Framing, and Political Rhetoric.
Did the author find that Lakoff’s model is perfectly applicable to German politics?
The author concludes that while the approach is interesting, it is too general and faces significant difficulties when applied to the complexities of a multi-party European system.
What specific TV debate serves as the basis for the practical analysis?
The practical analysis is based on the September 2005 televised debate between Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schröder.
- Quote paper
- Stephan Vierkant (Author), 2006, How American is German Politics?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/66599
