Abstract
Discursive approaches to metaphor recognize that different social contexts and discourse activities will influence metaphor use. Using a descriptive text written by a participant with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a case study, we demonstrate how, in a research context, metaphors do not only serve a representational function but they can also build relationships between the researcher and the participant, create a persuasive piece of writing and construct multiple identities. Through an analysis of metaphors and their surrounding, non-metaphorical co-text, it is thus argued that studies exploring metaphor in elicited research data need to integrate considerations of the research context into their analyses to a greater extent. We also show how a discourse dynamics approach to metaphor can be combined with a systemic-functional approach to register in order to capture both the discursive functions of metaphors and their emergence as the text progresses.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 389-410 |
| Journal | Text & Talk |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 1 May 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2018 |
