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Metaphors in Bulgarian Political Discourse Since 1989

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Metaphors in Bulgarian Political Discourse Since 1989 Advances in Journalism and Communication, 2020, 8, 17-27 https://www.scirp.org/journal/ajc ISSN Online: 2328-4935 ISSN Print: 2328-4927 Metaphors in Bulgarian Political Discourse Since 1989 Ivanka Mavrodieva Department of Library and Information Studies and Cultural Policy, Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria How to cite this paper: Mavrodieva, I. Abstract (2020). Metaphors in Bulgarian Political Discourse Since 1989. Advances in Journal- The study of the metaphors used by Bulgarian politicians in speeches, de- ism and Communication, 8, 17-27. bates, presentations, video clips, posters posted on the Internet clearly shows https://doi.org/10.4236/ajc.2020.82002 that they are represented well enough in the media environments. The first Received: March 20, 2020 hypothesis is that the metaphors used by Bulgarian political orators have Accepted: April 19, 2020 changed since 1989 during the transition from socialism to democracy and Published: April 22, 2020 they have been gradually replaced by new metaphors. The second hypothesis is that metaphors have considerably increased their public influence and they Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. have become a feature of contemporary Bulgarian political discourse. We can This work is licensed under the Creative also point out two new spheres of manifestations of metaphors at verbal and Commons Attribution International visual levels of political speech. The figurative language of civil messages and License (CC BY 4.0). appeals includes metaphors which are more expressive. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access Keywords Metaphor, Bulgarian Political Discourse, Public Influence 1. Introduction After 1989, Bulgaria went through a transformation from socialism to democra- cy, from a mono-party into a multi-party system as a result of political and social factors. Over the past 30 years, media, technological changes, digitisation and the Internet have been playing a role in changing the political discourse in Bul- garia which is remarkable for its heterogeneity: political speeches, institutional statements, media interviews and discussions, pre-election debates, addresses during demonstrations, press-conferences, presentations, posts on political blogs, personal Facebook walls, virtual political forums, etc. The official political dis- course is a function of state institutions and political parties and the oratory of citizens and NGOs has manifestations during protests. Politicians use verbal and DOI: 10.4236/ajc.2020.82002 Apr. 22, 2020 17 Advances in Journalism and Communication I. Mavrodieva visual tools in presenting their political programs, proposals, and messages. Bulgarian citizens broadcast appeals, parodies, etc. and they announce their civil requests and messages in front of their virtual communities and audiences. A political discourse is manifested in state institutions, political parties, nongo- vernmental organisations and it has the following features: communication strategies and tactics, roles of communicators and specific topics. Here it should be noted that state institutions, political parties and nongovernmental organiza- tions have their own system of values and a specific ideology and use specific lexemes, words, and units. The assumption is that the abstract language from socialist times has gradual- ly been transformed and Bulgarian politicians, state institutions and citizens have started to combine ideological words with figurative language and they have accepted the metaphor as a tool for effectively presenting their ideas and appeals. 2. Modern Scientific Approaches to the Study of Metaphor The study of metaphor dates back more than two millennia, however, in recent years it has been attracting many researchers’ attention. The research in the theory of metaphor began two thousand years ago. Aris- totle considers metaphor a figure of speech (Aristotle, 1986). The philosopher insists that reasoning to use metaphors assesses their importance for the descrip- tion not of “what was” and of “what could be possible in the future with strength of probability or necessity” (Aristotle, 1986: p. 6). The majority of modern studies of political metaphor is now being carried out at different universities and by different research teams. It is necessary to note, however, that in recent years, research in this area has been carried out on all continents, as it involves experts from different countries. Scientists have re- ceived recognition and it has had a significant impact on the development of science in different regions. George Lakoff and Mark Johnsen published a mo- nograph “Metaphor We Live by” (Lakoff & Johnsen, 2003). According to the two researchers a metaphor is a major cognitive operation and it is not limited to one area of language and the processes of thinking are largely metaphorical. This is what is meant when it is claimed that the conceptual system of a man arranges and defines metaphorically. Metaphors as linguistic expressions are possible precisely because they exist in the conceptual system of a man (Lakoff & John- sen, 2003). The basis of cognitive theory of metaphor is the idea that a metaphor is not a linguistic phenomenon and the mental linguistic level only reflects a thinker’s processes. Metaphors are not an ornament in language thoughts but only a superficial reflection of conceptual metaphors contained in the conceptual system of humans and structuring their perception, thinking and activity. The cognitive approach applied to the metaphor is characterized by the following features: the metaphor is understood as a basic mental operation, a learning tool and a categorization of the world. In the political sphere, metaphors are charac- DOI: 10.4236/ajc.2020.82002 18 Advances in Journalism and Communication I. Mavrodieva terized by complexity and a high level of abstraction is necessary to use more simple and concrete images of well-known areas (Lakoff & Johnsen, 2003). Over the past three decades scientists from different countries, continents and universities have contributed to the study of metaphors on a theoretical and a research level. Jeffery Scott Mio analyses the relations between a metaphor and politics (Mio, 1997). Christopher Hart focuses on critical discourse analysis of metaphors, creating corpora and a theoretical framework (Hart, 2007, 2008). The following books are the result of a strong and sustained interest in investi- gating metaphors concerning a policy, politics, politicians, rhetoric, persuasion etc.: “Metaphor and war, again” (Lakoff, 2003), “Metaphorical world politics” (Beer & Christ’l, 2004), “Politicians and rhetoric”. The persuasive power of me- taphor” (Charteris-Black, 2004). We are in agreement with definitions and ex- planations given by the above authors, especially with the positions that verbal metaphors are combined to support the process of understanding the messages and arguments and we will use them as parts of the theoretical background of this study. A special place among research into metaphor is occupied by the prominent Bulgarian philosopher Isaac Passy’ monograph “Metaphor” dedicated to this paradoxical combination of interesting, often contradictory traits and various functions. In the above-mentioned monograph, along with a precise scientific analysis delivered in the author’s typical terminological simplicity, there is eval- uation of metaphors, called “Divine-human means” (Passy, 1983). The fact that the first edition of this book was as long ago as in 1983 is a sufficient reason to assume that Isaak Passy researched many of the observations ahead of other au- thors cited too often. Summarising we can say that the scientific interest in investigating metaphors is on the nature, features, types, manifestations, factors, research methods and communication effects on political attitudes, actions and processes. 3. Research Questions and Research Design The paper studies verbal and visual metaphors used in political discourse in Bulgaria since 1989. The aim of the study is to find answers to the following research questions: What verbal metaphors have been used in Bulgarian political discourse since 1989? What visual metaphors have been used in Bulgarian political discourse since 1989? What is the role of metaphors in the messages of politicians in Bulgaria and how do they develop as a result of political, social and media factors? The study is based on a grounded analysis of political speeches, televised de- bates, televised interviews, video speeches and video presentations, etc. Next, the focus is placed on metaphors and their specific use in virtual communication, Facebook profiles and video clips published on YouTube. The research includes DOI: 10.4236/ajc.2020.82002 19 Advances in Journalism and Communication I. Mavrodieva an analysis on communicative channels, media and virtual environments. The corpus includes 100 speeches and debates as well as 100 photos used during the pre-election campaigns. The speeches are selected from speeches delivered by politicians from 20 political parties: the Political Party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the party Alternative for a Bulgarian Revival, the Bulgarian Left, and the Bulgarian Communist Party; Movement 21, the Union of Democratic Forces; the Reformist Block and the Blue Unity; three eco/green parties: the Green Party, the Party of the Greens, and Green Bulgaria; the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
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