Image schemas in political discourse in Kenya

Abstract

The study of conceptual interaction has attracted the attention of many scholars in Cognitive Linguistics. Primarily, the analysis has focused on the role of image schemas in the construction of metaphors. This study explores the PATH image- schema and the role it plays in conceptual formation of metaphors in political discourse in Kenya. It presents the PATH image-schema and the subsidiary image schemas it activates in metaphors of politics in Kenya. The study’s aim is to contribute to the field of metaphor in political discourse by examining the politicians’ conceptualization of politics as a journey. The analysis reveals that the PATH image-schema structures the relationship between the source domain (journey) and the target domain (politics) mapping. The study has used the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) as a tool to establish conceptual metaphors used during the 2005 Draft Constitution referendum in Kenya.