Conferences

METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATION OF CONCEPT «SHUTDOWN» IN NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER

Olena Nazarova

Kamianets-Podilskyi Ivan Ohiienko National University

Scientific supervisor: PhD., Kryshtaliuk G. A.

METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATION OF CONCEPT «SHUTDOWN» IN NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER

Abstract

Concept is a kind of mental unit which has language representation, and, in its detailed research, shows a profound metaphorical meaning. That is why the article is devoted to the analysis of the metaphorical representation of the concept SHUTDOWN based on the discourse of the American newspaper the New York Times.

Keywords: concept, SHUTDOWN, metaphorical representation, discourse, newspaper.

Since the time of Wilhelm von Humboldt, when the fundamentals of the united science of culture and language were formulated, linguists have not stopped to explore the reflection of the worldview in the language. The concept operation has become a qualitatively new stage in scientific research. The concept is a complex phenomenon in which the conceptual aspect passes through the prism of psychological evaluation [11, c. 57].

Concept is (also representation) the fundamental unit of knowledge central to categorization and conceptualization.  Concepts inhere in the conceptual system, and from early in infancy are redescribed from perceptual experience through a process termed perceptual meaning analysis [3, с. 31]. In the simple sense, concept is a name or label that regards an abstraction as if it had concrete or material existence such as a person, a place or a thing. Speaking about the study of concepts, we can distinguish the works of such scholars as N. N. Boldyrev, who researched the problems of conceptual analysis [8], O. P. Vorobyova, who reviewed the problems of conceptual science in Ukraine [9], V. Karasik, whose work is devoted to the study of the basic characteristics of concepts [7], E. S. Kubryakova, who in the «Short Dictionary of Cognitive Terms» described the meaning of concept [10] and A. M. Prikhodko, who considered the concepts and conceptual systems in the cognitive-discursive paradigm of linguistics [11].

In this investigation we analyze the metaphorical representation of the concept SHUTDOWN. The direct meaning of shutdown is the action of stopping some processes e.g. closing of a factory, business, or piece of machinery, either permanently or for a short time [4]. But in articles published in the American broadsheet newspaper New York Times we saw some other representation and statements about that event or even «process» because it lasted more than a month.

The overwhelming majority of metaphors found in the text shows the perception of the SHUTDOWN by the American people as the trick of President Trump, his demands, childish caprice and senseless insistence on his own. It can be seen in the examples (1) What a debacle President Trump’s shutdown proved to be — what a toddler’s pageant of foot-stomping and incompetence, of vainglory and self-defeat. (2) There is nothing to celebrate about this sorry shutdown, though it’s perhaps understandable that congressional Democrats were reveling in Mr. Trump’s collapse. (3) Trump’s shutdown was a cruel joke. (4) He succeeded only in exposing the emptiness of his bully’s bravado… (5) Here’s hoping that this mess leaves Mr. Trump with a vital lesson — even if he doesn’t care about a functional government, the rest of America does. (6) The shutdown triggered by a fight over funding for Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico ended on Friday and was the longest in US history. There are also examples of representation of shutdown as blow to the economy, loss of citizens’ income and fear of future (7) …the shutdown hurt economic growth… (8) …workers with damaged credit ratings, missed mortgage payments, new debts and, especially, new doubts about their basic job security and the future.

So, after analyzing about 20 articles on the theme of SHUTDOWN, we came to the conclusion that Americans represent this concept mainly as a demand of Donald Trump, damage to the economy, but for the president it’s temporary difficulties. The results obtained can contribute to further in-depth study of English-language newspaper texts and the representation of concepts in particular.

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