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10 - Metaphor, Metonymy and Framing in Discourse

from Part II - Perspectives and Modes of Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2020

By
Zsófia Demjén  and
Elena Semino
Edited by
Anna De Fina  and
Alexandra Georgakopoulou
Anna De Fina
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
Alexandra Georgakopoulou
Affiliation:
King's College London
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Summary

Metaphor involves the perception of similarities or correspondences between unlike entities and processes, so that one can experience, think and communicate about one thing in terms of another – lives as journeys, minds as machines, emotions as external forces, and so on. A consistent thread in the history of the study of metaphor concerns the potential of different metaphor choices to reflect and facilitate different ways of viewing topics or phenomena – a function of metaphor that is itself metaphorically captured by the notion of “framing.” The related phenomenon of metonymy, although less well studied in these terms, also facilitates framing in discourse. In this chapter, we review research on the framing power of metaphor and metonymy, with a particular focus on studies that are relevant to or directly concerned with the use of metaphor in discourse, broadly conceived. We begin with an overview of rhetorical approaches to metaphor as a tool for persuasion and of cognitive approaches to metaphor as a tool for thinking, including both theoretical and empirical studies. We review a variety of studies that have investigated the framing function of metaphor, and, to a lesser extent, metonymy, in authentic language use from a range of sources (e.g. politics, science and education) and using different qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Focusing on metaphor, where the evidence is most robust, we critically examine the relationship between, broadly speaking, cognitive and discourse-based approaches to metaphor. We go on to provide a concrete example of the framing function of metaphor in healthcare discourse, and show how cognitive and discourse perspectives can be usefully combined into a multilevel analytical framework that can, among other things, be used to make recommendations for professional practice and training.

Keywords

Metaphormetonymyframingconceptual metaphor theorysystematic metaphorslinguistic metaphorscomplex dynamic systemshealth discourse
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Discourse Studies , pp. 213 - 234
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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References

Further Reading

This shows how metaphor and metonymy are used to promote particular interpretations of a conflict event in Russia. It is argued that, in this way, the structure of the event itself is modified.

This outlines cognitive, discourse-analytic and practice-based perspectives to metaphor and framing, arguing that each is best suited for particular types of research goals. It sets out a blueprint for how different approaches to metaphor and framing can be integrated into a coherent model.

This is a review of the state of knowledge on how and under what conditions metaphors have been found to shape thinking. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as key challenges and opportunities for future research, are highlighted throughout.

Pinelli, E. (2016). The Role of Metaphor and Metonymy in Framing Terrorism: The Case of the Beslan School Siege in the Russian Media. Metaphor and the Social World 6(1): 134–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Semino, E., Demjén, Z. and Demmen, J. (2018). An Integrated Approach to Metaphor and Framing in Cognition, Discourse and Practice, with an Application to Metaphors for Cancer. Applied Linguistics 39(5): 625–45.Google Scholar
Thibodeau, P. H., Hendricks, R. K. and Boroditsky, L. (2017). How Linguistic Metaphor Scaffolds Reasoning. Trends in Cognitive Science 21(11): 852–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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