Raising language awareness through critical metaphor analysis: The case of corporate discourse
Veronika Koller (Lancaster University)
Abstract
As “windows on the mind”, metaphors encode beliefs, norms and values, along with attitudes, emotions and expectations – in short, metaphors are vehicles for ideology. When used in discourse, they do ideological work by framing actors, actions and events as well as by fostering engagement between discourse participants and organising texts in a (pseudo-)logical structure.
In this talk, I will outline the beginnings, main tenets and applications of critical metaphor analysis, an approach that integrates critical discourse studies and cognitive semantics. A particular focus will be on the notion of metaphor scenarios as mini narratives with an evaluative component. Drawing on different theories of grammar, I will discuss how metaphor scenarios can be operationalised in the critical analysis of discourse.
I will illustrate critical metaphor analysis with examples from corporate discourse, including branding, financial disclosure and organisational change. Despite the scale of its impact on social and ecological (in)justice, and the lack of public accountability, corporate discourse remains relatively under-researched in critical discourse studies. I close with a call for more critical metaphor analysis as a way of raising awareness of the ideological nature of corporate discourse.
Bio
Veronika Koller is Professor in Discourse Studies at Lancaster (UK), with research interests in political discourse, business communication, and language and gender. The focus of much of her work is on metaphor. Recent and forthcoming publications include the co-authored book Voices of Supporters: Populist parties, social media and the 2019 European elections (Benjamins, 2023) and the co-authored textbook Language in Business, Language at Work (with Erika Darics and Bernard De Clerck; Bloomsbury, 2026).
Veronika is associate editor of the journals Metaphor and Symbol and Cognitive Semantics as well as co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements series on critical discourse studies. She is also co-host of the podcast Words and Actions: how language matters in business, politics and beyond.