METAPHOR, PERSUASION, AND AUTHORITY IN MILITARY DISCOURSE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK
Authors/Creators
Description
This study examines how metaphor contributes to persuasion and
the performance of authority in military discourse in English and Uzbek. Using a
small comparative corpus of official statements and public-facing military
communications, the analysis integrates (i) metaphor identification and sourcedomain coding, (ii) rhetorical-strategic analysis (threat, protection, sacrifice,
inevitability), and (iii) linguistic markers of authority (modality, evidentiality,
institutional voice, pronoun alignment). Results indicate cross-linguistic
convergence around WAR/COMBAT metaphors and a shared tendency to fuse
obligation with collective identity, while diverging in preferred authority signals:
English texts more frequently rely on impersonal institutional voice and modal
projection (will, must), whereas Uzbek texts more often foreground communal
alignment and normative necessity (kerak/lozim/shart) in a moral-register frame.
The findings contribute to comparative military discourse studies by showing how
metaphor and authority co-produce legitimacy claims across typologically and
culturally distinct languages.
Files
423-428.pdf
Files
(597.1 kB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:3be7b8e2fb4239e06902265c720ec28f
|
597.1 kB | Preview Download |
Additional details
Dates
- Issued
-
2026-03-01
References
- Benzi, M., & Novarese, M. (2022). Metaphors we lie by: Our "war" against COVID-19. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 44(2), 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-022-00501-2 Chigbu, G. U., Ukwunna, R. C., & Aboh, S. C. (2025). Metaphors we overthrow with: A critical metaphor analysis of Nigerian military leaders' post-coup proclamations. Critical Discourse Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2025.2463638 Ferrari, F. (2007). Metaphor at work in the analysis of political discourse: Investigating a "preventive war" persuasion strategy. Discourse & Society, 18(5), 603–625. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926507079737 Flusberg, S. J., Matlock, T., & Thibodeau, P. H. (2018). War metaphors in public discourse. Metaphor and Symbol, 33(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2018.1407992 Khamdamova, H. (2021). The study of metaphors in philology. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 11(11). https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7315.2021.00168.4 Kelly, J. (2020). A critical discourse analysis of military-related remembrance rhetoric in UK sport: Communicating consent for British militarism. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479520971776 Kostova, B. (2020). Authority legitimation in campaign discourse of American presidential candidates. Studies in Linguistics, Culture and FLT, 8(2), 52– 84. Semino, E. (2021). "Not soldiers but fire-fighters" – Metaphors and COVID19. Health Communication, 36(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1844989 Tojiyeva, G. Y. (2023). Shukur Xolmirzayev hikoyalarining lingvopoetik tahlili [Linguopoetic analysis of Shukur Xolmirzayev's stories] (Master's thesis). Termiz State University. Tutar, H., & Bağ, S. M. (2023). Critical discourse analysis on leader statements in the Russia-Ukraine war. Etkileşim, 11, 44–66. https://doi.org/10.32739/etkilesim.2023.6.11.189