Metaphor and Social Change

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

What does it mean to refer to groups of people (immigrants, older people) as waves, or floods, or tsunamis? What problem does “glass ceiling” name, and how has use of the term changed over time? Does a “rose by any other name” really smell as sweet? What results from calling a package of almonds “honest” or coal technology “clean”? Metaphorical language pervades everyday talk and interaction. It structures how we understand abstract concepts, and it shapes—and is shaped by—the personal, social, and political realities that we experience every day. Because of its power and ubiquity in language, it is important for linguists and social scientists with an interest in discourse, cognition, and communication to know how to identify and analyze metaphors and “names.” This course provides an introduction to metaphor and the many domains in which it can be studied and leveraged. We will engage with the theoretical foundations of metaphor research and examine the intersections among different disciplines; learn a common code used by researchers to identify metaphors in talk and text; and, crucially, we will explore how metaphors appear (and reappear) in public and private discourses. One of our key responsibilities will be to identify and share examples encountered in communications (e.g., face-to-face conversations, social media, news media, political messaging, narratives, product labels, institutional discourse) that can be examined through the lens of the theoretical work with which the class has engaged. We will focus, for example, on how metaphor infuses talk about health and medicine, gender identity, the environment, interpersonal relationships, and other sociopolitical issues. We will also consider how switching the metaphors we use to describe or refer to a concept can influence behavior and create social change.