专著推荐 | 《解读政治话语中与隐喻相关的介词》 (2024年新书)

There is nothing more rewarding than finding the right metaphor, the one that can make something complex accessible. In the realm of political communication, even the smallest linguistic elements, such as prepositions, are utilized to create powerful metaphors. Unfortunately, prepositions are notoriously shunned, even in their literal senses, and are seldom considered part of the metaphorical landscape. While classic examples of metaphors such as “Richard is a lion” and “Juliet is the sun” are still admired for their poetic beauty and vividness, they rely primarily on the use of nouns. More creative metaphors may include verbs and adjectives, but how many of you remember good metaphors with prepositions? Prepositions, like other parts of speech, are crucial tools in political discourse that enable speakers to express a broad range of conceptual metaphors. However, this seemingly straightforward statement oversimplifies the complex and interdisciplinary nature of its underlying components, which include prepositions, metaphor, political discourse, pragmatics, and diachronic variations. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnections between these diverse fields, it is necessary to appreciate the nuanced concept of prepositions, the definition of metaphor and political thought, as well as the significance of pragmatics and diachronic linguistics in the study of metaphors. This book is a journey along these various paths to explore these topics and their crossroads. By the end of this journey, you will gain a deep appreciation for the beauty and power of the metaphors expressed through prepositions.