Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

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

Wang, Dan (2022) Conceptual Metaphors in the Chinese Housing Discourse (2010-2014): A corpus-based study of government rhetoric and its reception. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.97433) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:97433)

PDF
Language: English

Restricted to Repository staff only until October 2025.

Contact us about this Publication
[thumbnail of 56WANG_PhD_2022.pdf]
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/01.02.97433

Abstract

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.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
Thesis advisor: Kapogianni, Eleni
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.97433
Uncontrolled keywords: Linguistics; Critical Discourse Studies (CDS); Metaphor Analysis; Chinese housing discourse; Media discourse
Subjects: P Language and Literature
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Funders: University of Kent (https://ror.org/00xkeyj56)
SWORD Depositor: System Moodle
Depositing User: System Moodle
Date Deposited: 17 Oct 2022 08:51 UTC
Last Modified: 18 Oct 2022 09:30 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/97433 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Wang, Dan.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.