When language users express and negotiate their points of view via Metaphorical Scenarios, they engage in Scenario Negotiation. Based on a corpus of online debates about the European Union, this study focuses on the genre-specific conceptual-communicative functions of Scenario Negotiation in naturally occurring discourse.
For decades, the focus of Metaphor Studies laid on Conceptual Metaphor and its role in the human conceptual system. This study, however, focuses on metaphor in communication. Its aim is to shed light on how commenters in online debates discuss EU-related topics via Scenario Negotiation, expressing and negotiating their points of view via Metaphorical Scenarios. The study offers a review of current metaphor theory and practical approaches and proposes an Integrated Model of Scenario Negotiation. The results are based on context-sensitive, qualitative analysis of data which stem from a corpus of online debates from the Guardian’s Comment is free section. The discussion illustrates the genre-specific conceptual-communicative functions of Scenario Negotiation in naturally occurring discourse.
Stefanie Vogelbacher
Analysing Communication Computer-mediated Discourse Debates Discourse Analysis European European Union Martin Metaphor Metaphor Studies Metaphor Theory Metaphorical Scenario Michael Negotiation Online