Abused metaphors in political communication: the case of two presidents

Abstract

While political metaphors play a crucial role in imprinting policies on the public, they can be abused. The present study of the speeches of the most recent two South Korean presidents found that catachreses (abused metaphors) with abhorrent images led to negative reactions. Specifically, the case study of 12 abused tropes and 484 news articles found a pattern of catachresis formation and media responses: (1) senders map policy to an image; (2) the image lacks a cultural or physical correspondence with the policy; (3) a conflict arises between the image and the receivers’ values; (4) the receivers recognize the image as strained and abhorrent; (5) cynical online posts spread, pseudo-events increase, and many adverse news articles are reported. The results were re-validated by comparison with non-abused metaphors. This study suggests a metaphorical paradox: political metaphors have a long-lasting effect, as receivers treat abused political tropes negatively and remember them for a long time.