Metaphor Use in China-South Africa Relations Related Leaders’ Speeches: Effects of Language and Year

This study examines metaphor usage in the speeches of Chinese and South African leaders on China-South Africa relations, focusing on how language and year influence metaphor usage. We introduce the concept of Overt Metaphor and Covert Metaphor and its identification methods. The findings reveal that the South African president predominantly uses Overt Metaphors, while the Chinese president favors Covert Metaphors. In South African speeches, metaphor usage shows temporal stability, while the Chinese leader’s speeches exhibit year-to-year differences in some classic source domains. This suggests that classic source domains reveal deeper metaphorical differences. Our study not only proposes a new way for the promotion of conceptual cognition through covert metaphors but also introduces a conceptual metaphor generation mechanism based on source domain associations, contributing to Conceptual Metaphor Theory. We also highlight the role of metaphors in shaping cooperation and trust in China-South Africa relations, with JOURNEY creating confidence in cooperation and BUILD focusing on cooperation outcomes. Additionally, cultural differences influence metaphor usage, such as the prominent role of “family” in Chinese culture, leading to the widespread use of the FAMILY metaphor in constructing the “国家(COUNTRY IS A FAMILY)” concept, and its application in describing China-South Africa relations by the Chinese president.