Revista de Investigaciones Universidad del Quindío,
34(S2), 20-26; 2022.
ISSN: 1794-631X e-ISSN: 2500-5782
Esta obra está bajo una licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0 Internacional.
POLITICAL METAPHOR IN CORONAVIRUS MEDIA COVERAGE
METÁFORA POLÍTICA EN LA COBERTURA MEDIÁTICA DEL CORONAVIRUS
Olga N. Prokhorova 1; Igor V. Chekulai 2; Olga I. Agafonova 3 *; Elena V. Pupynina 4; Oksana V. Markelova 5; Marina S. Matytsina 6.
1. Belgorod State University, Russia. prokhorov@gmail.com
2. Belgorod State University, Russia. ifrochev@yahoo.com
3. Belgorod State University, Russia. agofonova@bsu.edu.ru
4. Belgorod State University, Russia. pupyel@mail.ru
5. Belgorod State University, Russia. mrek.v.o@yandex.ru
6. Lipetsk State Technical University, Russia. matmaryn@gmail.com
* Corresponding author: Olga I. Agafonova, email:agofonova@bsu.edu.ru
ABSTRACT
This present study is aimed at taking a look at the Covid-19 coverage in political discourse considering the metaphor-based method. This article mainly aims at examining the substantial role of metaphor as well as language in a manner we understand and converse as special metaphorical notions seem to be the fundamental mechanisms of forming actuality in the prevailing era. Discourse and cognitive analysis along with modeling, statistical and contextual analyses are taken into account to accomplish the study’s objectives. The study’s outcomes acquired demonstrate that nowadays, dominant sorts of metaphors, including war or military metaphors and catastrophe and animal ones. The mentioned metaphors are examined in political discourses on a gross scale.
Keywords: cognitive analysis; Covid-19 coverage; conceptual metaphor; political discourse; COVID-19.
RESUMEN
El presente estudio tiene como objetivo dar una mirada a la cobertura del Covid-19 en el discurso político a partir del método metafórico. Este artículo tiene como objetivo principal examinar el papel sustancial de la metáfora, así como el lenguaje en la forma en que entendemos y conversamos, ya que las nociones metafóricas especiales parecen ser los mecanismos fundamentales para formar la realidad en la época actual. El análisis del discurso y cognitivo junto con el modelado, los análisis estadísticos y contextuales se toman en cuenta para lograr los objetivos del estudio. Los resultados del estudio obtenidos muestran que hoy en día, predominan los tipos de metáforas, incluidas las de guerra o militares y las de catástrofes y animales. Las metáforas mencionadas son examinadas en los discursos políticos a gran escala.
Palabras clave: análisis cognitivo; cobertura Covid-19; metáfora conceptual; discurso político; COVID-19.
INTRODUCTION
Over the course of 2020, the entire world has experienced drastic changes in people’s lives. The Coronavirus pandemic has overshadowed nearly the entire globe. Health care having been on the first line was the first to perceive the adverse effects stemming form the outbreak of that sinister virus, nonetheless, the Covid-19 crisis also afflicted other areas, such as cultural, financial, ethical, political, social, industrial, communication and particularly political communication (Pasaribu et al., 2021). That pandemic, despite regularly being compared to war, AIDS, beast, tsunami, plague, herpetic fever, ranging fire with war rhetoric predominating, shaped a brand-new period in the field of linguistics. Linguistics has sweetly addressed the issues of reality shaping a somewhat new factor in political discourse (Johnson & Williams, 2020; Yu, 2022).
The present study makes and attempt to inspect this pandemic coverage in mass media in an effort to examine shaping of a particular section in political discourse focusing upon today’s linguistic peculiarities influencing forming a brand-new lexical layer associated with the Coronavirus issue. (Taylor & Kidgell, 2021). It appears absolutely crucial to pursue the way publically utilized metaphors form the social reaction to the subject, often sparking controversy and generating distortion in public perspective and leading to dread and inappropriate act. As a result, this article intends to examine this particular section of political discourse which is responsible for the change in worldwide narrative oved the course of this so-called pandemic (Milutinović, 2021).
In order to accomplish those aims, the study investigated online and virtual materials and sources of various kinds, predominantly political posts and publications in prevalent English-speaking online sources. Considering the reality that the net is not granted a lot credence, it still seems and likely would keep being the major tool of communication agenda on a worldwide scale in the near future. instant access to data addresses credibility issues and gets the online platform quite a strong and potent knowledge source. This article concentrated not merely on publications but also on the participants’ responses as they manifest the most independent and impartial perspectives. Furthermore, over the course of this study, political discourse is deemed as all sorts of rhetoric, both indirectly and directly connected to political communicating. As result, political discourse is deemed similar to political communication of any sorts (Nor & Zulcafli, 2020).
Mass media have been famous so long for shaping public perspective in several ways. In fact, they function as a main mediator between those in power and the public through the so-called perspective leaders. That capacity is initiated from the major aim of mass communication transformed from mere being a information source to a device for implementing behavioral criteria with effects upon public opinions. The influence acquired is dependent on a remarkable extent on the political perspective of the parties engaged as well as the objectives of the process of setting agenda. There exists one more significant reality to be pointed out. This sinister pandemic seems not to over yet, hence, what we witness is deemed as the developing process and the lexical database expansion.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The ideas of several distinguished researchers regarding the metaphor and discourse investigations functioned as theoretic background concerning the issue under examination. Contemporary studies in the metaphor area is normally on the basis of the regulations and criteria of Lakoff’s conceptual metaphor procedure. This notion of a conceptual metaphor rests with the reality that a metaphoric expression appears to be the representation of linguistics of a particular conceptual metaphor in regard to correspondence between source and target areas (Wang, 2021; Yu, 2022). Given that, human beings normally comprehend a thing by another means (stated via a source domain), the procedure demonstrates how individuals’ mental function although we are not oftentimes aware of the whole procedure. Target domains tend to correspond to complex and abstract perspectives being stated by more comprehensible and clear source domains. As Lakoff states, the entire set of experiences we’ve undergone in people’s everyday lives can be observed as tools of communicating and interpreting brand-new data from various angles, the stuff he called frame-circuit. Scholars tend to seek the words that spark metaphor activation procedure (Pasaribu et al., 2021).
An entire set of linguists set their studies and investigations upon Lakoff’s metaphor notions (Panzeri et al., 2021). several linguists also observe metaphor as fundamental mental action, as tools of comprehension and also a means of world cognition. Based on Chudinov’s statement, metaphor can be observed as a word entity and likewise an idiomatic meaning with alike metaphorical concept, as the means of cognitive mechanism and thinking of communicating process. That linguist offers wide approaches to metaphor regarding form (his metaphor studies are on the basis of the cognitive linguistics’ principles in terms of tongue as a symbolic characters continuum regardless of any distinguishments among phraseology, syntax, morphology, and lexis as well) and content (such as phraseological units, simile, periphrasis, hyperbole, and the like into his study interests) (Nor & Zulcafli, 2020; Rajandran, 2020).
Cognitive linguistics comprehends metaphor as cognitive procedure denoting and shaping brand-new concepts/notions and which is a substantial part of obtaining brand-new understanding as well as knowledge (Johnson & Williams, 2020; Taylor & Kidgell, 2021). Metaphors tend to be deemed as the perception process of a thing by ways of another and also tend to be deemed as a tool of demonstrating objective reality in the respective tongue.
Metaphor can also be observed as the pillar key to a greater grasp of mindset and laws of generating particular global worldview and also its general figure. Key metaphors are understood to designate an idea/image of one reality category to another one and supply its conceptualization through the current system (Atanasova, 2022).
To put it in a nutshell, conceptual metaphor having been a fundamental factor in structuring and mapping the world mentally also functions the objectives of promoting understanding in regard to our world and grasping complicated and blurred and obscure issues. Making a comparison of a metaphor to the set of others can contribute to identifying the most beneficial metaphors for the contemporary political discourse in a tongue and hence, provide an opportunity to discover global patterns. Hence, examining conceptual metaphors concerning political discourse theory provides an opportunity of observing ahead in a way that politicians utilize to affect a specific target group and clarify and determine a special algorithm in political discourse performing. That gets drawing parallel among constant political discourse patterns and metaphorical modeling of national thinking.
METHODOLOGY
The selection of research techniques and methods have been determined through the interdisciplinary core of the concept under examination. Discourse and cognitive analyses accompanied with modeling, statistical contextual analysis and confirmed to be a proper method of carrying out the study in the conceptual metaphor arenas.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Given the fact that at the start of the Covid-19, the world have seen the enhancement in utilizing the conceptual metaphor in an effort to favorable challenges encountering. The part of the metaphor in shaping political discourse can’t be shaked as individuals’ minds are by far metaphorically formed, however, it’s not till we begin contemplating it we understand how strong and robust the metaphor is. Multiple medical terminologies have gone above their normal set of utilization and figures its way into media, political, business and other communication areas. All result in a brand-new spin of interest to the issues of conceptual metaphor, especially regarding political discourse. This current survey revealed that pandemic rhetoric is able to be featured by the utilization of particular conceptual metaphors. The selection of metaphors is straightforwardly accounted for from the notion of an anthropocentric method as individuals normally investigate the fact in connection to a human-being and utilized regular and habitual figures to picture it. The results demonstrate that the current metaphors are metaphors of catastrophe, animal world, and war.
The metaphors of war are deemed initially because of its great productivity in the figurative meaning for the prevailing condition. It has been provoked by several high-profile politicians utilizing it in their public statements.
Boris Johnson called that so-called pandemic an alien invader and enemy an that humans require to combat and defeat, that way, in accordance with the Guardian, “invoking the language of wartime”:
“Yes that enemy can be fatal. Nonetheless, it is debatable also – and we are aware how to defeat it and that provided as a nation we comply with the scientific advice that is now being offered we understand that we would defeat it” (Milutinović, 2021).
Angela Merkel and Donald Trump (Ex Ameriak’s President), and several politicians of any rank turned to war metaphors forming public reaction to the circumstances and perceiving of the so-called viros. President Xi Jinping sometimes refers to war metaphors in his pandemic rhetoric:
“Combating COVID-19 via Cooperation and Solidarity, constructing a Worldwide Community of Health for All” at the Virtual Occasion of the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly (Olimat, 2020).
“China to proceed cooperating with community to fight Coronavirus” (Pasaribu et al., 2021).
War Military and metaphors have always been incorporated into political discourse. War as a hostile means of communication in and among communities functions as a perfect demonstration of the globe in the era of Covid-19 pandemic. The utilization of the war metaphor clearly appears enticing as it contributes to conveying the opinion of viruses as an enemy. Other triggering words meaning the notion is able to be associated with military acts (defeat, combat, attack, battle, assault, defend), frontline/warriors/soldiers/heroes (volunteers, doctors, different kinds of support service, nurses, often teachers), home allies/front (those staying in, maintaining social distancing and that way can cease the virus outbreak), Deserters and defectors (COVID covidiots and dissidents, anti-maskers, the last one excitingly implying two opposite stuff – individuals taking insensible precautions against COVID on the one hand and those being in denial of COVID on the other), strategies (lockdown, quarantine, detection, prevention) and a vast set of strange words somehow associated with the notion (weapon, war, and so forth).
“Over this critical path, to support WHO means to support worldwide collaboration and the combat for saving lives likewise” (Panzeri et al., 2021).
“China calls over the global community to raise financial and political support for WHO in order to deploy sources globally to beat this covid-19” (Wang, 2021).
“The participants in that battle are our health-care professionals. It’s the nurses, doctors, individuals performing in the hospitals. They are the soldiers fighting this combat for us. …. We are in the state of war with a Covid-19 – and not beating it. …The war requires a war-time scheme to combat that”. (Nor & Zulcafli, 2020; Rajandran, 2020).
Another striking point to observe is that rampant usage of war metaphor necessitates a quite adverse reaction from several individuals which is on the one hand an emblem of metaphor’s efficiency. Nonetheless, on the other hand, that confirms that it is utilized as a tool of aggravating the position which is already malign. This also leads to the implementation of an imagination an creativity called ReframeCovid aiming at cooperating together at substitutes for war metaphors as applying military tongue to dissect Covid-19 is taken into account to be irresponsible and hazardous. There exists a rising worry that war rhetoric may place lots of stuff in danger – mental stability, social cohesion, and others. The notion being reinforced is that of the usage of gentler metaphors suggesting the opinions of cooperation and solidarity (Olimat, 2020; Gui, 2021).
After the Covid-19 began to unwind an entire set of other metaphors in relation to COVID-19 were introduced, animal metaphor being one of them. Animal metaphor is able to be featured through great productivity because of numerous causes. Having been part of the animal world, a human being has constantly been with animals and is well-aware of the principles to comply with them. The animal metaphor may make it more straightforward to come to terms with the pandemic which is a sort of observation human beings never had previously. The metaphorical expressions utilized often refer to the Covid-19. It’s named a monster, a beast, a grey rhino, or a black swan.
The origins of the virus are demonstrated in the utilization of the “black swan” metaphor dating back to the eras when a black swan was something assumed not to exist.
“There remain 3 features of a “black swan” occasion: rarity, retrospective predictability, tremendous effect. With the aid of perception it is constantly simple to place the warning indications of a looming disaster, however, few observe them then” (Grbeša, 2020; Taylor & Kidgell, 2021).
Contrary to black swans, grey rhinos are high-effect stuff.
“Was the pandemic a black swan or grey rhino a?” (Craig, 2020; Wang, 2021).
Several metaphors are referring to stuff aside from the virus per se. China being held accountable for the Coronavirus spread by several is observed as a scapegoat by others.
“Wrong to utilized China as Scapegoat for the pandemic” (Atanasova, 2022)
The most desirable act is explained as a self-restricting and self-limiting act individuals need to adopt to prevent the pandemic outbreaking.
“In case one intends to be a hero in the dark times, one shall behave as a hedgehog. Do not fight like a giant, roar like a lion, just roll up in a ball and wait, longing for more desirable times”( Dezhkameh et al., 2021).
China’s efforts to prevent the pandemic are defined as draconian procedure which functions good enough:
“Second of all, Chinese consultants are cooperating with European states to repress Covid-19, reinforcing draconian measures, deploying masks shipments, therapeutic and ventilators facilities from China”(Panzeri et al., 2021).
With several theories of conspiracy aimed at China, its foreign policy is featured negatively:
“It may be the USA army staff bringing the virus to Wuhan.” Such official remarks lead to a crisis in China–U.S. relationships. A contextual element seems to be the Party-government’s return to the Maoist totalitarian sort of governing recently, including progressing the “struggle philosophy” in foreign matters and “diplomacy of wolf warrior.” (Olimat, 2020; Rajandran, 2020).
One additional theory of conspiracy indicates that Coronavirus have been particularly planned to decrease the elderly number:
“Wuhan virus culls the human herd – but is there a drawback?” (Gui, 2021).
While coming to figures of coronavirus connected to disasters, the entire set of metaphorical shifts is utilized. It may be named a meltdown, tsunami on healthcare, a Coro apocalypse, a storm, Chornobyl, a plague, wildfires, an epicenter, and other similar names.
“Additionally, biological weapons were used against civilian and military targets in at least a few “large-scale field tests” through China. Hundreds of civilians perished or suffered terribly from those manmade plagues” (Grbeša, 2020; Wang, 2021; Craig, 2020; Rajandran, 2020; Dezhkameh et al., 2021).
“A senior USA official on Sunday compared China’s managing of the Covid-19 spread to the Soviet Union’s meltdown cover-up at the Chornobyl nuclear plant over the course of 1986” (Atanasova, 2022).
CONCLUSIONS
The prevailing article demonstrates that the destructive impact of Coronavirus on people, societies and nations can’t but affect the language. The alteration in rhetoric is able to be defined as a change in emphasis toward war and military metaphor on the whole.
The wide usage of war metaphor is able to be named anything from orchestrated propaganda to urgent imperative one thing is clear – the effect of the virus is extraordinary. The analysis of data indicates that Coronavirus is politicized and absolutely aimed at impacting public mindsets ideologically. Other conceptual metaphors utilized in pandemic rhetoric, including catastrophe or animal metaphors, are also utilized to assist the humans in perceiving that new fact that we are now residing through – interaction between the political discourse and pandemic suggests together linguistic and reality oddities and its impacts upon communication at crisis times. Predominating pejorative connotations oftentimes get a subject for criticism with a marking notion for the globe, however, the requirement for a shift toward more attainable narratives and appeal to place individuals first when addressing this issue.
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