I Will Fight For The Life Of This Country - A Comparison of Conceptual Metaphor used for Nation States in Pro and Anti Scottish Independence Speeches

Abstract

The Scottish independence referendum is due to take place on 14th September 2014. David Cameron – leader of the Conservative Party – is arguing against Scottish independence from the UK, while Alex Salmond – leader of the Scottish National Party is arguing in favour of an independent Scotland. In this dissertation conceptual metaphor theory is employed to analyse metaphors from speeches made by both David Cameron and Alex Salmond on the topic of the referendum are analysed from the methodological perspective of cognitive linguistics to see how they conceptualise the abstract notion of the nation state. Throughout history political leaders have relied on the spoken word to both persuade people of their views and discredit their opponents. In this dissertation I show how Alex Salmond and David Cameron persuade their listeners of their stance on Scottish independence through their skill of using metaphor. I argue that their choice of metaphor is essential to their persuasiveness, demonstrating the cognitive and affective appeal of metaphor. I suggest that conceptual metaphors are able to expose the subliminal resources of language by analyzing hidden associations that govern our everyday evaluations.