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Images and roles of the European Union in the climate change debate

A cognitive approach to metaphors in the European Parliament

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to understand how the ideas of unity and leadership are conveyed linguistically by the members of the European Parliament (MEP)’s interventions. Using the cognitive metaphor theory developed by Lakoff and Johnson I argue that the analysis of conceptual metaphors will show how MEPs perceive the EU and its role in the climate change discussions. The corpus used in this analysis is composed of two debates that took place at the European Parliament, respectively before and after the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), in December 2009.

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to understand how the ideas of unity and leadership are conveyed linguistically by the members of the European Parliament (MEP)’s interventions. Using the cognitive metaphor theory developed by Lakoff and Johnson I argue that the analysis of conceptual metaphors will show how MEPs perceive the EU and its role in the climate change discussions. The corpus used in this analysis is composed of two debates that took place at the European Parliament, respectively before and after the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), in December 2009.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Speaking of and within the EU – Introduction 1
  5. Speaking to Europe 19
  6. Doing politics or doing media? A linguistic approach to European parliamentary debate 43
  7. Quantitative approaches to political discourse 65
  8. On what is not said and who said it 85
  9. Voices and identities 111
  10. The heart of Europe 135
  11. Images and roles of the European Union in the climate change debate 151
  12. Risky readings 171
  13. Index 189
Speaking of Europe
This chapter is in the book Speaking of Europe
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.49.08ly

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Speaking of and within the EU – Introduction 1
  5. Speaking to Europe 19
  6. Doing politics or doing media? A linguistic approach to European parliamentary debate 43
  7. Quantitative approaches to political discourse 65
  8. On what is not said and who said it 85
  9. Voices and identities 111
  10. The heart of Europe 135
  11. Images and roles of the European Union in the climate change debate 151
  12. Risky readings 171
  13. Index 189
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