"Taking the Shackles off": Metaphor and metonymy of migrant children and border officials in the U.S.

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Catalano, Theresa and Musolff, Andreas (2019) "Taking the Shackles off": Metaphor and metonymy of migrant children and border officials in the U.S. Metaphorik.de, 29. ISSN 1618-2006

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Abstract

The present paper utilizes (multimodal) critical discourse studies and cognitive linguistics to analyze the verbal and visual metonymies/metaphors found in online news sources that report on unaccompanied youths from Central America and Border Patrol/immigration officials in the U.S. Findings reveal verbal and visual metonymies that dehumanize and criminalize child migrants, while Border Patrol/immigration enforcement discourse creates WAR/WILD WEST metaphors that justify the militarization of the border. The significance of the study lies in showing how underlying conceptualizations of migrants by immigration and border control agencies help us understand the social imaginary which allows the government to garner public support for unjust policies and treatment of migrants. In addition, by examining the connection of media and law enforcement rhetoric to the Trump administration, it illustrates how rightwing populists gain and maintain power through their appeal to populist ideals and the repetition of core discourses.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sdg 10 - reduced inequalities ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/reduced_inequalities
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Migration Research Network Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Language and Communication Studies
Related URLs:	https://www.metaphorik.de/de/journal/29/...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	30 Apr 2019 09:30
Last Modified:	21 Jul 2023 09:52
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/70750
DOI:

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