The Dynamic Use of Metaphor in Political Discourse
The paper explores the dynamic use of metaphor in political discourse from two perspectives: how metaphors are related to each other within a discourse - the phenomenon of metaphor clustering, and how the same metaphors are used across different types of discourse. Research into metaphor clustering in Bill Clinton’s Acceptance Address in 1996 shows that metaphor clustering, as a prominent feature in political discourse, it contributes to the cognitive and discursive coherence of the address and the elaboration of major topics. The analysis of bridge metaphor in Bill Clinton’s Acceptance Address in 1996 and Inaugural Address in 1997 reveals that the collocates and functions of the same metaphor are varied in different types of political discourse. These findings suggest that metaphor is not a static cognitive and linguistic feature, but a dynamic tool that can be used by speakers to fulfill different purposes in different contexts.