Estudo descritivo da realização das metáforas política externa é guerra e política externa é comércio

Abstract

The conceptual metaphor theory proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) triggered researches which aimed to investigate metaphor as an element for reasoning. It is from this perspective that this study has analyzed the metaphors INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IS WAR and INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IS COMMERCE. It was hypothesized that the concepts WAR and COMMERCE are central to the conceptualization of INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. Initially we discussed the definition for metaphor from the Cognitive Linguistics perspective. Then, we described the research procedure. The corpus analyzed consists of excerpts extracted from Veja magazine texts published online in the first and third quarters of 2009. We compiled the text excerpts with the help of the Wordsmith tools suite of programs. We identified the elements belonging to the three conceptual domains which structure the metaphors in study as well as the conceptual correspondences these domains establish. The analysis of the metaphorical mappings has revealed that the concepts WAR and COMMERCE are indispensable in the structuring of the concept INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. The identified conceptual mappings form a coherent net of metaphors as well as of metonymies. The domains are inextricably linked and related to each other by means of metaphorical and metonymical projections. These two cognitive mechanisms work together in structuring the target concept INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. We found out that the three domains share a common conceptualization, and it is possible to categorize them as INTERACTION WITH PURPOSES. The relationship that exists between the domains makes possible a better understanding of the concept INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. The metaphorical conceptualization of INTERNATIONAL POLITICS is not only compatible with the theoretical understanding of politics but also with the dynamics of foreign relations, in which economic and military power go hand in hand.