Metaphorical Conceptualization of WAR in Chinese Sports Discourse
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to analyze the verbally expressed phenomenon of the metaphorical model SPORT IS WAR in the Chinese sports media discourse, to describe the ways of its conceptualization and to investigate the peculiarities of its functioning.
Methods. Through the linguo-cognitive and quantitative analysis of a representative sample of Chinese texts of sports discourse, the dominant concept of which was SPORT, there was identified the following system of metaphorical models: SPORT IS WAR, SPORT IS THEATER, SPORT IS FAMILY and SPORT IS WAY OF LIFE. The method of metaphorical modeling was chosen as the main method of empirical research of the metaphorical model SPORT IS WAR. Attention was focused on the definition of the main models of conceptual sports metaphor, which have a frame-slot structure, where were revealed the linguistic means of its reproduction.
Results. There have been studied structural and semantic properties of sports metaphor in Chinese media discourse, the expansion source of which is the conceptual sphere of WAR. In the article there was presented a structural analysis of the frames in which sporting events and their participants are presented as warriors on the battlefield, striving for victory, which is a metaphorical rethinking of the undisputed thirst for victory. It has been found that the metaphorical model SPORT IS WAR in Chinese sports discourse is represented by three main frames: «Hostilities», «Results of war», «Warriors». Within each frame, there were highlighted the main slots, described their lexical content, determined the communicative functions of the metaphorical model SPORT IS WAR in the Chinese sports discourse and clarified the reasons for its activation.
Conclusions. The frame-slot structure of the metaphorical model SPORT IS WAR, presented in Chinese media discourse, reflects a strong desire and will to win and absolute rejection of defeat, and indicates the intensification of the studied metaphorical model in the period of the expansion of China’s global hegemonic strategy. It was found that in the objectification of the concepts of the conceptual sphere of SPORT, which reflect the victory of Chinese players, dominates the positive evaluative metaphors describing the hostilities, its participants and the results of the confrontation, and negative evaluative metaphors are used for intensifying the deafest of the opponents. Although sport activity a priori aimed at emphasizing the best human qualities, its personal development and called upon for showing the respect to all participants, still in Chinese sports discourse this process is more and more taken by addressers and recipients as warfare. Hereby, metaphorical conceptualization of WAR in Chinese sports discourse is indisputable and defined by paralinguistic peculiarities of military and sport activities, which despite of their visual difference have certain conceptual similarity.
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