Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse
Can image schemas sustain the discourse on Brexit while building up emotional and evaluative dimensions in the process? This paper analyzes the embodied meaning used in the Brexit discourse as seen through the lens of the pro-leave newspaper (The Telegraph). By way of a discourse-based approach, the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Russian Journal of Linguistics |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/viewFile/35190/22254 |
| _version_ | 1797785465659588608 |
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| author | Victoria Martín de la Rosa |
| author_facet | Victoria Martín de la Rosa |
| author_sort | Victoria Martín de la Rosa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Can image schemas sustain the discourse on Brexit while building up emotional and evaluative dimensions in the process? This paper analyzes the embodied meaning used in the Brexit discourse as seen through the lens of the pro-leave newspaper (The Telegraph). By way of a discourse-based approach, the main goal of this study is to show the persuasive role that two recurrent image schemas (CONTAINMENT AND FORCE) play in the characterization of the Brexit discourse, which were used to evoke strong feelings of fear and anger to mobilize readers into taking a defensive position against the EU at the time of the referendum. Regarding the material to be analyzed, a corpus of 43,576 words was compiled, distributed in 34 opinion articles and 13 leading articles, from May 22 to June 22, 2016. The data were analyzed from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, where the embodiment of the mind plays a key role. The analysis reveals that the use of the metaphor scenario ‘take back control’, bringing together the use of image schemas and conceptual metaphor, galvanizes the readership’s support against the EU through the use of this realistic formula in a less cognitively demanding manner. The study of image schemas seems to provide an important avenue for understanding the representation of complex political issues such as that of Brexit, underpinned by the use of highly compressed and simple information with a deliberate emotional load. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:54:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2cb657c78ca437886f076c9f2bc434f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2687-0088 2686-8024 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:54:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Russian Journal of Linguistics |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2cb657c78ca437886f076c9f2bc434f2023-07-07T07:34:45ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)Russian Journal of Linguistics2687-00882686-80242023-06-0127227629610.22363/2687-0088-3150920847Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourseVictoria Martín de la Rosa0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3720-5240Complutense UniversityCan image schemas sustain the discourse on Brexit while building up emotional and evaluative dimensions in the process? This paper analyzes the embodied meaning used in the Brexit discourse as seen through the lens of the pro-leave newspaper (The Telegraph). By way of a discourse-based approach, the main goal of this study is to show the persuasive role that two recurrent image schemas (CONTAINMENT AND FORCE) play in the characterization of the Brexit discourse, which were used to evoke strong feelings of fear and anger to mobilize readers into taking a defensive position against the EU at the time of the referendum. Regarding the material to be analyzed, a corpus of 43,576 words was compiled, distributed in 34 opinion articles and 13 leading articles, from May 22 to June 22, 2016. The data were analyzed from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, where the embodiment of the mind plays a key role. The analysis reveals that the use of the metaphor scenario ‘take back control’, bringing together the use of image schemas and conceptual metaphor, galvanizes the readership’s support against the EU through the use of this realistic formula in a less cognitively demanding manner. The study of image schemas seems to provide an important avenue for understanding the representation of complex political issues such as that of Brexit, underpinned by the use of highly compressed and simple information with a deliberate emotional load.https://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/viewFile/35190/22254political discoursebrexit discourseembodimentimage schemascontainmentconceptual metaphor |
| spellingShingle | Victoria Martín de la Rosa Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse Russian Journal of Linguistics political discourse brexit discourse embodiment image schemas containment conceptual metaphor |
| title | Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse |
| title_full | Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse |
| title_fullStr | Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse |
| title_short | Taking back control: The role of image schemas in the Brexit discourse |
| title_sort | taking back control the role of image schemas in the brexit discourse |
| topic | political discourse brexit discourse embodiment image schemas containment conceptual metaphor |
| url | https://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/viewFile/35190/22254 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT victoriamartindelarosa takingbackcontroltheroleofimageschemasinthebrexitdiscourse |