Metaphors as Discursive Awareness in English And Uzbek Political Discourse

Abstract

This article examines political metaphor as a form of discursive awareness that both reflects and actively shapes how publics interpret power, legitimacy, risk, and collective identity in English- and Uzbek-language political communication. Treating metaphor not as ornament but as a cognitive–ideological instrument, the study integrates Conceptual Metaphor Theory with critical approaches to political discourse, including scenario-oriented analysis of metaphor use in argumentation. A qualitative comparative design is applied to a small, purposefully sampled corpus of contemporary English political speeches and Uzbek official statements and public addresses, supplemented by widely circulated media quotations and policy framings. The analysis focuses on how recurrent metaphor families—JOURNEY, WAR/STRUGGLE, FAMILY, BODY/HEALTH, BUILDING, and NATURE—operate as “discursive awareness cues”: they highlight some causal relations while backgrounding others, normalize certain roles (leader, citizen, state), and provide ready-made moral evaluations. The results indicate that English political discourse frequently activates metaphors of competitive governance and adversarial debate, often producing a rhetorical economy of urgency through WAR, CRISIS, and GAME frames. Uzbek political discourse more consistently foregrounds metaphors of collective cohesion and state stewardship through FAMILY, HOME, GARDEN/CULTIVATION, and BUILDING frames, creating an ethics of social responsibility and continuity. Across both languages, metaphor scenarios stabilize ideological expectations by linking abstract policy fields (security, economy, reform, education) to culturally resonant embodied experiences. The discussion argues that discursive awareness emerges when speakers strategically select metaphors that anticipate audience inferences, manage blame, and authorize policy choices as “common sense.” The article concludes by proposing a cross-linguistic model of metaphor-as-awareness that connects cognitive salience, cultural memory, and institutional goals in political persuasion.