METAPHOR EXTENSION AS AN INSTRUMENT TO DISCREDIT AN OPPONENT’S POSITION (based on speeches in the State Duma of the Russian Empire)

METAPHOR EXTENSION AS AN INSTRUMENT TO DISCREDIT AN OPPONENT’S POSITION (based on speeches in the State Duma of the Russian Empire)

Author:  E.P. Dulesov

Affiliation:  Udmurt State University

Abstract:  Researchers in linguistics and psychology underscore that metaphor extension is one of the most effective discrediting devices. In other words, the speaker can pick up the opponent’s metaphor and use it to convey meanings and evaluations differing from the ones originally intended, thereby defending his own, opposite standpoint.

By combining methods of cognitive linguistics and political rhetoric, the article aims at examining the most significant examples of metaphor extension used in Russian pre-revolutionary parliament speeches.

The study reveals that creative metaphor often becomes the target of criticism in the parliamentary debate. The author shows that the main techniques of metaphor extension include reducing to absurdity, the so called ‘boomerang method’, and the image change. It is concluded that metaphor extension has great pragmatic potential; the politician not only refutes the opponent’s argument, but also undermines his professional credibility and reputation by implying that the opponent is an incompetent public speaker.

Keywords:  political discourse, parliamentary speech, cognitive metaphor, metaphor extension, discreditation.

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For citation:  Dulesov, E. P. (2018). Metaphor extension as an instrument to discredit an opponent’s position (based on speeches in the State Duma of the Russian Empire) // Voprosy Kognitivnoy Lingvistiki, 4, 96-100. (In Russ.).

Pages:  96-100