Analyzing Metaphors and Lexicon in Election Rhetoric: A Case Study of the 1998 Taipei Mayoral Election

Author: Jennifer M. Wei(English Department Soochow University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 45
Date：October 2000
Pages：29-44
DOI：10.6210/JNTNULL.2000.45.03

Abstract：

This paper analyzes election rhetoric used in 1998 by two candidates for Taipei mayor, challenger Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomingtong (KMT) and incumbent Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DDP). It focuses on newly coined phrases, a pervasive lexicon that reflects the local election culture, and metaphors and imageries used to create involvement and to evoke emotions during televised interviews. The paper further argues that linguistic devices such as lexicon and metaphors are not mere rhetorical embellishments, but are central aspects of the election message that affect the ways in which the voters perceive, think, and act (cf. Lakoff and Johnson 1980). Such devices not only differentiate one candidate from another but also create involvement and evoke emotions from voters in order to dodge tough questions. In other words, they serve pragmatic functions, but are also charged with symbolic forces within the highly contested socio-political context of the 1998 Taipei mayor election.
Data were collected from written materials on the election found on the Internet, the newspapers, and in magazines during the election period. By comparing and analyzing the different metaphors and lexicon used by the KMT and DDP Taipei mayoral candidates, this paper not only demonstrates how the candidates' distinct styles were incorporated into metaphors and images they choose, but also analyzes the socio-cultural effects of some of the elections most characteristic language.

Keywords：political discourse, metaphor, lexicon, election rhetoric, sociolinguistics

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