33.3103, Diss: English; Cognitive Science; Discourse Analysis; Pragmatics; Semantics; Text/Corpus Linguistics: Fidelis Musi Aseh: ''Diss Title: Outer and Inner Circle Rhetoric Specificity in Political Discourse: A Corpus-based Study''

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-33-3103. Tue Oct 11 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.3103, Diss:  English; Cognitive Science; Discourse Analysis; Pragmatics; Semantics; Text/Corpus Linguistics: Fidelis Musi Aseh: ''Diss Title: Outer and Inner Circle Rhetoric Specificity in Political Discourse: A Corpus-based Study''

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Billy Dickson
Managing Editor: Lauren Perkins
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Goldfinch, Nils Hjortnaes,
        Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson, Amalia Robinson, Matthew Fort
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Hosted by Indiana University

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Sarah Goldfinch <sgoldfinch at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2022 06:44:07
From: FIDELIS ASEH [asfidelism at yahoo.com]
Subject: Diss Title: Outer and Inner Circle Rhetoric Specificity in Political Discourse: A Corpus-based Study

 
Institution: Katholischen Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt 
Program: English and Comparative Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2020 

Author: Fidelis Musi Aseh

Dissertation Title: Outer and Inner Circle Rhetoric Specificity in Political
Discourse:  A Corpus-based Study 

Dissertation URL:  https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-ku-eichstaett/frontdoor/index/index/docId/602

Linguistic Field(s): Cognitive Science
                     Discourse Analysis
                     Pragmatics
                     Semantics
                     Text/Corpus Linguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)


Dissertation Director(s):
Heiner Böttger
Thomas Hoffmann

Dissertation Abstract:

The study explores the distinctive patterns of language use in political
discourse across selected outer circle (Cameroon and Ghana) and inner circle
(US and South Africa) varieties, using a corpus-based approach. More
specifically, the research sets out to investigate the use of two types of
linguistic features, namely, personal pronouns and kinship metaphors. In a
first analysis, I adopt an alternative approach to investigating the use of
personal pronouns in political discourse. The approach essentially draws from
the cognitive linguistic concept of ‘frames’ as articulated by the theory of
frame semantics (Fillmore, 1976, 1977a, 1982, 1985, 2008; Fillmore & Baker,
2010). I use an automatic frame semantic parsing tool, the SEMAFOR parser (Das
et al, 2014), to identify the different types of (semantic) frames and frame
roles with which specific personal pronouns are instantiated across the four
varieties. I then compare the findings to illustrate instances of universality
and variation. 
In a second analysis, I examine the types of metaphorical conceptualizations
which are made using kinship terms across the varieties. Working top-down from
conceptual schemas to linguistic instantiation, I identify and compare the
frequencies of metaphors from the kinship field and also describe the types of
cross-domain mappings typically involved in each of the varieties. My analysis
is mostly informed by mainstream 
cognitive approaches to the study of metaphors, more especially cultural
variations in the use of conceptual metaphors (Kövecses, 2002, 2005). I
demonstrate that although there is empirical evidence for the use of a kinship
conceptual schema across all four varieties, there are however significant
variances in the specific metaphorical mappings used to 
instantiate this high-level conceptual structure. Both analyses make a case
for the fact that in the field of political discourse especially, language use
may be structured and constrained by conceptual schemas which themselves are
culturally determined.

Keywords: Political discourse, cultural variation, World Englishes, frames,
          conceptual metaphors




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-33-3103	
----------------------------------------------------------