A Comparative Study of Conceptual Metaphors in the Poverty Alleviation Discourse:

Abstract

Metaphor exists in various aspects of our lives. Traditionally, the research on metaphor has merely scratched the surface, and researchers have long regarded it as a rhetorical device. However, with the development of cognitive linguistics, contemporary linguists have come to that metaphor serves as more than just a rhetorical device; it also functions as a tool aiding in comprehending the world. In 1980, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson introduced the theory of conceptual metaphor, which immediately demonstrated its powerful explanatory power. As a result, many linguists began to study political discourse within this theoretical framework. This dissertation centers on the utilization of conceptual metaphors within the poverty alleviation discourse by the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the American President Lyndon B. Johnson. I carefully analyzed the discourse of these two national leaders, investigated the commonalities and variations in their metaphorical expressions, explored the metaphorical mapping relationships and entailments, and explained how these metaphors help the two leaders elucidate poverty alleviation to the public and mobilize active participation in poverty alleviation efforts. In terms of metaphorical entailment, I have put forward some explanations for the differences and similarities from the perspective of metaphorical entailment. Throughout history, poverty has been a persistent challenge for humanity, and both China and America have faced this issue. To explain poverty alleviation issues to their respective populace and persuade them to actively engage in poverty alleviating, the two national leaders have used a multitude of metaphors in their poverty alleviating discourse. President Xi Jinping proposed the slogan of Winning the Battle Against Poverty, while President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed the idea of the War on Poverty. This dissertation focuses on the poverty alleviation discourse of the two national leaders and reports an in-depth research of the similarities and differences in selections of conceptual metaphors. Two types of discourse were collected and studied: one aspect involves President Xi Jinping’s discourse on poverty alleviation, encompassing the vocabulary employed in a range of meetings and speeches spanning from November 2015 to January 2021, totaling 201 paragraphs whose English translations add up to 38,054 words. The other pertains to the language employed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to advance poverty alleviation, including his State of the Union addresses, meetings, and speeches from 1964 to 1969, amounting to 217 paragraphs and 36,781 words. The two types of corpus share high similarity in that they both come from speeches of national leaders, are of the same topic and in similar genres, span six years, and have a similar number of words. The study addresses four questions: 1. What kinds of conceptual metaphors are employed in the two sets of discourse? 2. What are the similarities and differences between the prominent conceptual metaphors selected by both national leaders in their discourse? 3. How do these metaphors assist national leaders in explaining poverty alleviation and in mobilizing the populace to actively engage in the battle against poverty? 4. What are the reasons for the differences and similarities in the selection of metaphors in the poverty alleviation discourse between the two leaders? This study utilizes a blended methodology, integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative research seeks to calculate the quantity and frequency of various metaphorical expressions in the two corpora. Meanwhile, the qualitative research delves deeper into the specific contexts where metaphors are used, examining metaphor mapping and investigating similarities and differences in metaphor use in the two corpora. Furthermore, it interprets the reasons behind these similarities and differences from the perspective of metaphorical entailment. This dual-method approach enables a comprehensive exploration of both the statistical prevalence and the nuanced application of metaphors within the selected discourse. The research found that both leaders used various types of metaphors in their discourse on poverty alleviation. President Xi Jinping utilized metaphors such as BUILDING, DISEASE, PLANT, CLOTHES, MACHINE, JOURNEY and WAR. And President Lyndon B. Johnson employed metaphors such as BUILDING, DISEASE, PLANT, CONFINEMENT, CONTAINER, SUPERNATURAL BEING, JOURNEY and WAR. There are similarities and differences at both general and specific levels: (1) At the general-level, there are five shared metaphors present in both discourses, such as BUILDING metaphor, DISEASE metaphor, PLANT metaphor, JOURNEY metaphor, and WAR metaphor. At the specific-level, the two leaders often make similar choices within sub-source domains. (2) Simultaneously, among the metaphors that surface in both types of discourse, significant variations can be observed. At the general-level, CLOTHING and MACHINE metaphors are distinctive to President Xi Jinping’s discourse, whereas CONFINEMENT metaphor, CONTAINER metaphor, and SUPERNATURAL BEING metaphor are exclusive to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s words. The differences on a more detailed level are chiefly manifested in the usage of WAR metaphors. President Xi Jinping’s selections of metaphorical expressions within the WARFARE notably utilizes the concept of decisive battles, and the quantity and frequency of expressions related to STRATEGY and PROCESS in his metaphors significantly exceed President Lyndon B. Johnson’s employment of these metaphorical expressions. I analyzed the metaphorical entailments of these metaphors one by one, finding that: through shared metaphorical entailments, both leaders emphasize the importance and necessity of poverty alleviation. They encourage the citizens to steadfastly hold onto their goals, to persistently put in effort, to continuously explore appropriate strategies, and to remain united while combating poverty. Additionally, they advocate for following national plans and supporting state policies during this struggle against poverty. Through different metaphorical entailments generated by various source domains or sub-source domains, President Xi Jinping elucidates the distinct responsibilities borne by both the nation and individuals in poverty alleviation. He underscores the utilization of proper poverty policies to enhance work efficiency, with the aim of eradicating poverty in the shortest possible time. In contrast, President Lyndon B. Johnson employs metaphors to emphasize the grim nature of poverty, thereby motivating the American people to actively combat it. Meanwhile, he implies that eradicating poverty is a long-term objective that demands comprehensive planning. In summary, the two national leaders have both similarities and differences in their employment of metaphors, and both are appropriate selections aimed at better explaining poverty alleviation and persuading citizens to actively participate in it. Key Words: conceptual metaphor, political discourse, comparative study, metaphorical mapping, metaphorical entailment|빈곤퇴치 담론의 개념적 은유에 관한 연구 시진핑과 린든 존슨의 담론을 중심으로 B. 왕종예 지도교수 최영주 : 영어영문학과 조선대학교 대학원 본문은 중국 국가주석 시진핑과 미국 대통령 존슨이 빈곤에 관한 담화에서 은유를 어떻게 활용했는지에 대해 탐구합니다 연구 결과 이 두 정상은 빈곤에 관한 대화에서 . , 다양한 유형의 은유를 사용했습니다 두 발화에서 공통으로 나타난 건축 은유 질병 은. , 유 식물 은유 여행 은유 및 전쟁 은유 등 다섯 가지 은유를 공유했습니다 두 정상은 , , . 종종 유사한 선택을 했습니다 그런데 두 유형의 담화에서 나타난 은유 사이에는 중요. 한 차이가 있음을 관찰했습니다 의상 및 기계 은유는 시진핑 주석의 담화에서 독특한 . 특징으로 나타났으며 제약 은유 용기 은유 및 초자연적인 존재 은유는 존슨 대통령의 , , 독점적인 은유였습니다 더 구체적으로 이러한 차이점은 주로 전쟁 은유의 사용에서 나. , 타났습니다 시진핑 주석이 사용한 전쟁 은유 중 전략과 과정과 관련된 표현의 수와 빈. 도가 존슨 대통령의 사용과 비교해 크게 높았습니다 이러한 은유들의 은유적 의미를 . 하나하나 분석한 결과 두 정상은 은유를 통해 빈곤 문제의 중요성과 필요성을 강조함, 을 발견했습니다 그들은 시민들에게 자신의 목표를 굳게 지키고 끊임없이 노력하며 적. 절한 전략을 탐색하고 빈곤과의 싸움 속에서 단결을 유지하는 것을 촉구했습니다 또한. , 그들은 빈곤과의 싸움 중에 국가 계획을 따르고 국가 정책을 지지하는 것을 주장했습니 다 시진핑 주석은 다른 출처나 하위 영역에서 발생한 다양한 은유를 통해 국가와 개인. 이 빈곤 문제에 대해 맡은 역할의 차이를 설명했습니다 그는 효과적인 빈곤 극복을 위. 해 적절한 빈곤 완화 정책을 활용하고 가능한 짧은 시간 내에 빈곤을 근본적으로 해결 하는 것을 강조했습니다 반면에 존슨 대통령은 은유를 사용하여 빈곤의 무서움을 강조. 하며 미국 국민을 빈곤과의 더 적극적인 싸움으로 동기부여하고 동시에 빈곤 극복은 , 종합적인 계획이 필요한 장기적인 목표임을 시사했습니다 총론적으로 이 두 국가 리더. , 는 은유를 통해 더 나은 빈곤 작업 설명과 시민을 적극 참여시키기 위한 적절한 선택을 했습니다. 키워드 개념 은유 정치 담화 비교 연구 은유 매핑 은유 함축 ：