Political Lingustics

In recent years the linguistic study of discourse elements has increased, especially emphasizing the role of metaphor. The capacity of language to activate mental representations is supported by imaging strategies such as metaphor because of their immediate accessibility. Metaphors can therefore be considered as anchors around which information is organized and is easily available in individual as well as collective memory. 

Following Lakoff and Johnson (1980), the  cognitive dimension of metaphorical usage in language and speech is of crucial importance for the study of attitudes, given the fact that its analysis serves for the deduction of underlying base concepts. Because conceptualizations are often employed for biased evaluation in the form of prejudices and stereotypes, analysis of their linguistic expression and the way they create cultural identities promises fruitful results. It is this kind of social categorizing based on commonly shared beliefs about nationality, ethnicity, or religion that is often used to label others, not only in everyday life, but also in public discourse. Whether a metaphor is functionalized as a carrier of a stereotype depends on whether its overall validity is accepted by society.
This contribution provides some insight into the role of metaphor in the process of shaping cultural stereotypes. The role of mass media in the construction and transmission of metaphors and stereotypes as well as their underlying basic concepts is discussed with regard to enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and the integration of ten new member states. The collected data are based on newspaper articles that appeared in the leading French press (Le Figaro, Le Monde, Libération) shortly before and after enlargement, beginning in January 2004 and covering a total period of six month. The strategies of labeling and re-labeling the former “out-group members”, now new “in-goup members” are compared to the auto-labeling of the hitherto “in-group members”.