The Role of Complex Metaphor and Metonymy Structures in Verbal Representation of Antinomic Political Concepts
Recently cognitive linguists have shifted the focus of their attention from studying sole metonymies and metaphors to complex metaphor and metonymy structures in discourse. Our investigation is aimed at identifying the role performed by complex metaphor and metonymy structures in verbal representation of antinomic concepts “world order” and “state of emergency” in political discourse. Both concepts are determined to be semantically antagonistic towards each other. They are categorized and conceptualized via different forms of complex metaphor and metonymy thinking. We found that complex structures are productive in verbal representation of complicated abstract concepts in political discourse. Horizontal metonymic chains conceptualize the “world order” concept forming several national-specific models of world order. The “state of emergency” concept is revealed to be represented by metaphtonymies - complicated vertical conceptual superstructures with dominant members framing the conceptual unity and subordinate ones.