Metaphor as a Means of Expressing Evaluation: quantitative analysis of the Russia representation in the Indian media discourse

This article explores the interrelation between evaluation and metaphor power in the media discourse of Indian news outlets covering events related to the Special Military Operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Employing a cognitive-discursive approach and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including scaling and content analysis, the study examines a corpus of 50 English-language news articles totaling 25,659 words. The calculated indices of evaluation and metaphor power reveal pragmatic features of rhetorical impact employed by Indian media, such as the predominance of rational and explicit evaluation, high metaphor density, and a prevalence of low-intensity ontological metaphors. Correlation analysis confirmed statistically significant relationships between the form and intensity of evaluation and metaphor, allowing metaphors to be regarded as a key mechanism for the cognitive and pragmatic construction of evaluative meaning.

1. Ahmanova, O. S. Dictionary of linguistic terms]. Moscow: Sovetskaya enciklopediya, 1966. 607 p. (in Russ.)

2. Akhrenova N. A. Specifics of Presenting the Concept COVID-19: Conceptual Metaphor. In. С. Scientific Notes of the National Society of Applied Linguistics, 2021, no. 2(34), pp. 47–54. (in Russ.)

3. Arutyunova N. D. Language and the World of Man. 2nd ed., rev. Moscow: Languages of Russian Culture, 1999. 895 p. (in Russ.)

4. Boeynaems A., Burgers C., Konijn E. A., Steen G. J. The Effects of Metaphorical Framing on Political Persuasion: A Systematic Literature Review. Metaphor and Symbol, 2017, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 118–134.

5. Bogachanova T. D. Metalinguistic Factors in the Formation of Evaluativeness (Based on Internet Comments of Political Nature). Bulletin of Volgograd State Pedagogical University, 2021, no. 9 (162), pp. 122–130. (in Russ.)

6. Gordienko E. V. The Category of Evaluation in Modern British and American Media Discourse. In: Studia Germanica, Romanica et Comparatistica, 2019, vol. 15, no. 3 (45), pp. 91–101. (in Russ.)

7. Guan Sh., Sun Y. Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in the Formation of Country Image (based on political cartoons). Russian Journal of Linguistics, 2023, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 444–467.

8. Ilina N. V. Structure and Functioning of Evaluative Constructions in Modern English: Cand. philol. sci. diss. Moscow, 1984. (in Russ.)

9. Kalinin O. I. Metaphorical Speech Influence in the Media Discourse of the US–China Trade War. Vestnik NSU. Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 2023, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 70-84. DOI 10.25205/1818-7935-2023-21-4-70-84 (in Russ.)

10. Kalinin O. I. Functional Potential of Metaphor as a Means of Speech Influence in Discourse. Cognitive Studies of Language, 2022, no. 2(49), pp. 134–139. (in Russ.)

11. Karasik V. I. Cultural Dominants in Language. In: С. Language Circle: Personality, Concepts, Discourse. Volgograd: Peremena Publ., 2002, pp. 166–205. (in Russ.)

12. Kulikova V. A. Word-Formation Means of Expressing Negative Evaluation (based on neologisms in 21st-century electronic media headlines): Cand. philol. sci. thesis. Nizhny Novgorod, 2020. 278 p. (in Russ.)

13. Kruglikova G. G. On the Semantics of Quantitative Evaluation. In: С. Linguistic Units in Speech Communication: Collected Scientific Papers. Moscow, 1991, pp. 82–89. (in Russ.)

14. Leontovich O. A., Kalinin O. I., Ignatenko A. V. Metaphor Power and Language Typology: Analysis of Correlation on the Material of the United Nations Declarations. Training, Language and Culture, 2023, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 21–29. DOI 10.22363/2521-442X-2023-7-2-21-29.

15. Markelova T. V. Pragmatics and Semantics of Means of Expressing Evaluation in the Russian Language: Monograph. Moscow: Moscow University of Printing Arts, 2013. 299 p. (in Russ.)

16. Novikov V. P. Evaluative Vocabulary in the English Newspaper Language: Author’s Abstract of Cand. philol. sci. thesis. Moscow, 1992. 22 p. (in Russ.)

17. Ovcharenko E. N. Linguo-Pragmatic Aspect of Verbalization of Evaluation in Media Discourse: Cand. philol. sci. thesis. Maykop, 2022. 166 p. (in Russ.)

18. Pimenova M. V. Expression of Evaluation at the Lexical Level: Rational and Emotional. In: Rational and Emotional in the Russian Language: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference. Moscow: Moscow State Regional University, 2017, pp. 251–255. (in Russ.)

19. Ottati V. C., Renstrom R. A. Metaphor and Persuasive Communication: A Multifunctional Approach. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2010, vol. 4 (9), pp. 783–794.

20. Sheptukhina E. M. Explicitness/Implicitness of the Semantic Structure of Russian Verbs with Bound Stems. In: Semantic and Discourse Studies of Language: Explicitness/Implicitness of Meaning Expression: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference. Kaliningrad: I. Kant Baltic Federal University, 2006, pp. 248–255. (in Russ.)

21. Solopova O. A., Li M. Mechanisms and Strategies of State Image Modeling. Cognitive Studies of Language, 2023, no. 4 (55), pp. 152–155. (in Russ.)

22. Thibodeau P. H., Boroditsky L. Natural Language Metaphors Covertly Influence Reasoning. PLoS ONE, 2013, vol. 8, no. 1, e52961.

23. Vodyanitskaya A. A. Explanatory Potential of Linguistic Axiology: Analysis of Academic Discursive Practices. Dr. philol. sci. thesis. Moscow, 2022. 407 p. (in Russ.)

24. Wolf E. M. Functional Semantics of Evaluation. 2nd ed. Moscow: Editorial URSS, 2002. 280 p. (in Russ.)