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METAPHOR INTERPRETATION IN BUSINESS DISCOURSE

A.Gabets, G. Khorokhorina, E. Orekhova

Abstract

Being a multidimensional and complex issue metaphor has been considered frequent in fiction but rare and even non-existent in official discourse by classical books on stylistics for many years. Though many researchers still describe official communication as unemotional different political and business leaders nowadays often use various language ways of making their speeches more expressive including such figure of speech as metaphor. The research analyzes the use of the metaphor in business discourse which is revealed by official and publicist communication. The research was conducted on 35 speeches of IMF officials made in 2016 and 35 articles published by The Guardian and The Economist in 2016. The method of discourse-analysis, the method of contextual analysis are used in the paper. The authors of the research study metaphors in various texts and come to the conclusion that there are three main functions performed by metaphors in business discourse: phatic function (i.e. to establish contact with the audience), accumulative function (i.e. to transfer the information with less speech units), aesthetic function (i.e. to make speech more beautiful, moving and memorable thus producing more persuasive effect). All functions are correlated as the mechanism of work of metaphors in business texts is very complicated and closely connected with evaluation. This figure of speech is based on figurality and figurality in its turn is based on cognitive structures which can belong to either an individual or society. Being comprehended correctly or even incorrectly by the listener metaphors create images which either emphasize important or hide or smooth negative issues. The perception of metaphor in most cases is subconscious which means that metaphors can represent strong means of linguistic manipulation. Having performed the study of pragmalinguistic parameters of the use of metaphors in business discourse the authors of the paper underline the necessity of teaching proper interpretation of metaphors in business context during classes of English for professional communication as it should give students of English and future specialists the ability and competence to avoid this type of hidden pressure and improve their negotiating skills.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2017/32/S14.108

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