The Functions of Metaphors in the Relations of Poland with the European Union Cover Image

Funkcje metafor w relacjach Polski z Unią Europejską
The Functions of Metaphors in the Relations of Poland with the European Union

Author(s): Marta Kaźmierczak
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Instytut Zachodni im. Zygmunta Wojciechowskiego

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns the metaphors taken from the political language. The author investigates the linguistic representations of relations (rooted in the historical context) between Poland and the EU. These metaphors were active in the public discourse and their meanings influenced on the social reception of the Polish accession to the EU. The common aspect of these linguistic figures is the tacit conviction about the “fatalism of history” in Polish politics. The author also represents the social and international understanding of metaphors in foreign mass media. The main hypothesis concerns an important influence of speech acts on internal and external politics – in the linguistic perspective – where metaphors create images and representations of reality. In the Polish context, these metaphors are rooted in the semantic field implicated by associations with “death”, “sacrifice”, “prejudice” and “uncertainty”.

  • Issue Year: 330/2009
  • Issue No: 03
  • Page Range: 213-230
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish