Conceptual Metaphors in the Chinese Housing Discourse (2010-2014): A corpus-based study of government rhetoric and its reception

The aim of this thesis is to examine metaphors used by the state and the public in the discussion of the Chinese housing discourse (CHD) between 2010 and 2014. In particular, the focal point of the study concerns the diverging views held towards housing by the state and the public. The study considers how these views are manifested through metaphors in particular, conducting a corpus-based analysis of a series of articles published by the state's official newspaper, People's Daily, as well as their corresponding reader comments.

The thesis primarily draws upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This thesis also incorporates Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), Charteris-Black's (2004a) Critical Metaphor Theory, and Shi Xu's (2005) Cultural approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CCDA) and, more specifically, what he labels as "Chinese Discourse Studies" (CNDS).

Six major categories of metaphor are found to be prevalent among the state-controlled discourse and the public discourse: DISEASE, JOURNEY, WAR, FOOD, FAMILY, and NATURE. The analysis of these metaphors shows that the state favors metaphors with latent power (i.e.: knowledge) and this is represented in their preference of metaphors with strong connotations of professional power (e.g.: "doctor", "driver", "general"), whereas the public prefer representations of power that come from Chinese culture, e.g.: the hierarchy in Confucianism in FAMILY metaphors. Furthermore, it is shown that the state-controlled discourse changes its metaphor use strategy depending on the state of the market (always orienting towards a positive self-portrayal and legitimization of power), while the public tends to adopt similar metaphor categories, albeit with the intention to subvert some of them for the purposes of counter-discourse. Finally, the culture-specificity of metaphor use is also highlighted in the findings, with emphasis on the impact of Confucianism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Yin-Yang philosophy in the construction and manipulation of metaphorical language.