A Critical Metaphor Analysis of English and Arabic Press Economic Discourse: The Egyptian Economic Situation (July 2012-June 2013) M.A. Thesis

Abstract

Metaphor is a pervasive linguistic phenomenon in different discourses, such as economic discourse. This study contrasts conceptual metaphors in English and Arabic financial reports discussing the Egyptian economy in the period (July 2012- June 2013). This time span is chosen in particular because it witnessed great political and social changes that had a great impact on the economic conditions. The study employs Charteris-Black’s (2004) model of Critical Metaphor Analysis in investigating the metaphors used to construct the Egyptian economy in 20 English press financial reports and 20 Arabic ones. The study also incorporates Lakoff and Johnson’s (2003) Conceptual Metaphor Theory in interpreting such metaphors. The study examines the linguistic and cultural variations across the two languages, reveals the potential ideological motivations behind choosing them in particular, and investigates the persuasive power of the identified conceptual metaphors. Data analysis shows that the two sub-corpora share a huge number of conceptual metaphors, and sometimes equivalent metaphorical expressions as well. However, the different proportions of the identified conceptual metaphors indicate that there are great cultural variations. Moreover, there are substantial differences concerning the ideological motivations behind the use of such expressions. The study concludes that while the English financial reports provide a biased portrayal of the economic situation in Egypt, which is mainly based on hyperbole, the Arabic ones are rather unbiased.