Metaphor Use in Political Speeches

Abstract

This chapter continues a corpus-assisted analysis of political discourse by providing a critical exploration of metaphor use in Putin’s political speeches. Using the concepts of ‘discourse metaphor’ and ‘frame’ I analyse speeches written and delivered between 2000 and 2007 in order to reveal the rhetorical strategies employed in them, and establish the ideological patterns of metaphor use. As the ‘use and re-use of metaphors leads to the conventionalization of attitudinal judgements attached to them’ (Cameron and Deignan, 2006: 676), analysis of metaphors can help disclose how given ideological assumptions are crafted and sustained in political discourse. In particular, I focus on the two types of metaphors that are frequently combined in Putin’s speeches as well as in the political discourse in general: the path metaphor and the building metaphor. Following the research framework outlined by Chilton (1996) and Chilton and Ilyin (1993), the discussion will focus on how these metaphors constitute or contribute to Putin’s strategies for advocating his policies, opposing the policies of others, and creating a particular political narrative.