Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom
Matthew Cotton, Ralf Barkemeyer, Barbara Renzi, Giulio Napaolitano
We apply a mixed-method design centred on the deployment of metaphors to explore the role that language plays in the structuring of the public discourses of unconventional hydrocarbon development (UHD) across three major developed economies. We analyse UHD-related metaphorical devices deployed in broadsheet newspapers in Australia, the UK and the USA between January 2006 and May 2018. We develop an innovative Type Hierarchy Approach to metaphors by mapping through directed graph hierarchies. These allow concept-mapping analysis in terms of supertypes and subtypes, i.e. concepts ordered in terms of generality and inclusion as in "rapid expansion" → "explosion". We find two broad discourses, each containing metaphorical constructions: economic gain across temporal horizons (incorporating boom, bonanza, revolution and death metaphors); and risk tolerance and decision-making (incorporating gamble and insanity metaphors). At the level of individual metaphors, deployment trends and patterns can be mapped along country borders rather than for example political alignment. Boom and bonanza appear most widespread in the USA, whereas UHD as a revolution is more closely associated with UK newspapers. Over time, UHD-related metaphor use decreases in all three countries, potentially reflecting an increasing public acceptance of UHD and moving shale gas from unconventional to conventional hydrocarbon development.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
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hydraulic fracturing Earth & Environmental Sciences 100%
hydrocarbon Earth & Environmental Sciences 71%
Discourse Business & Economics 56%
United States of America Business & Economics 41%
Concept Mapping Business & Economics 29%
Mixed Methods Business & Economics 25%
Directed Graph Business & Economics 24%
Public Acceptance Business & Economics 24%
Matthew Cotton
M.Cottontees.acuk
Centre for Social Innovation
SSSHL Department of Humanities and Social Sciences - Professor in Public Policy
Person: Professorial, Research
Cotton, M., Barkemeyer, R., Renzi, B., & Napaolitano, G. (2019). Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom. Ecological Economics, 166, [106426]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
Cotton, Matthew ; Barkemeyer, Ralf ; Renzi, Barbara et al. / Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom. In: Ecological Economics. 2019 ; Vol. 166.
@article{bd505ca2d2ec4673adfb153072f39a8b,
title = "Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom",
abstract = "We apply a mixed-method design centred on the deployment of metaphors to explore the role that language plays in the structuring of the public discourses of unconventional hydrocarbon development (UHD) across three major developed economies. We analyse UHD-related metaphorical devices deployed in broadsheet newspapers in Australia, the UK and the USA between January 2006 and May 2018. We develop an innovative Type Hierarchy Approach to metaphors by mapping through directed graph hierarchies. These allow concept-mapping analysis in terms of supertypes and subtypes, i.e. concepts ordered in terms of generality and inclusion as in "rapid expansion" → "explosion". We find two broad discourses, each containing metaphorical constructions: economic gain across temporal horizons (incorporating boom, bonanza, revolution and death metaphors); and risk tolerance and decision-making (incorporating gamble and insanity metaphors). At the level of individual metaphors, deployment trends and patterns can be mapped along country borders rather than for example political alignment. Boom and bonanza appear most widespread in the USA, whereas UHD as a revolution is more closely associated with UK newspapers. Over time, UHD-related metaphor use decreases in all three countries, potentially reflecting an increasing public acceptance of UHD and moving shale gas from unconventional to conventional hydrocarbon development.",
author = "Matthew Cotton and Ralf Barkemeyer and Barbara Renzi and Giulio Napaolitano",
doi = "10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426",
journal = "Ecological Economics",
Cotton, M, Barkemeyer, R, Renzi, B & Napaolitano, G 2019, 'Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom', Ecological Economics, vol. 166, 106426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom. / Cotton, Matthew; Barkemeyer, Ralf; Renzi, Barbara et al.
In: Ecological Economics, Vol. 166, 106426, 23.08.2019.
T1 - Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom
AU - Barkemeyer, Ralf
AU - Renzi, Barbara
AU - Napaolitano, Giulio
N2 - We apply a mixed-method design centred on the deployment of metaphors to explore the role that language plays in the structuring of the public discourses of unconventional hydrocarbon development (UHD) across three major developed economies. We analyse UHD-related metaphorical devices deployed in broadsheet newspapers in Australia, the UK and the USA between January 2006 and May 2018. We develop an innovative Type Hierarchy Approach to metaphors by mapping through directed graph hierarchies. These allow concept-mapping analysis in terms of supertypes and subtypes, i.e. concepts ordered in terms of generality and inclusion as in "rapid expansion" → "explosion". We find two broad discourses, each containing metaphorical constructions: economic gain across temporal horizons (incorporating boom, bonanza, revolution and death metaphors); and risk tolerance and decision-making (incorporating gamble and insanity metaphors). At the level of individual metaphors, deployment trends and patterns can be mapped along country borders rather than for example political alignment. Boom and bonanza appear most widespread in the USA, whereas UHD as a revolution is more closely associated with UK newspapers. Over time, UHD-related metaphor use decreases in all three countries, potentially reflecting an increasing public acceptance of UHD and moving shale gas from unconventional to conventional hydrocarbon development.
AB - We apply a mixed-method design centred on the deployment of metaphors to explore the role that language plays in the structuring of the public discourses of unconventional hydrocarbon development (UHD) across three major developed economies. We analyse UHD-related metaphorical devices deployed in broadsheet newspapers in Australia, the UK and the USA between January 2006 and May 2018. We develop an innovative Type Hierarchy Approach to metaphors by mapping through directed graph hierarchies. These allow concept-mapping analysis in terms of supertypes and subtypes, i.e. concepts ordered in terms of generality and inclusion as in "rapid expansion" → "explosion". We find two broad discourses, each containing metaphorical constructions: economic gain across temporal horizons (incorporating boom, bonanza, revolution and death metaphors); and risk tolerance and decision-making (incorporating gamble and insanity metaphors). At the level of individual metaphors, deployment trends and patterns can be mapped along country borders rather than for example political alignment. Boom and bonanza appear most widespread in the USA, whereas UHD as a revolution is more closely associated with UK newspapers. Over time, UHD-related metaphor use decreases in all three countries, potentially reflecting an increasing public acceptance of UHD and moving shale gas from unconventional to conventional hydrocarbon development.
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426
JO - Ecological Economics
JF - Ecological Economics
Cotton M, Barkemeyer R, Renzi B, Napaolitano G. Fracking and metaphor: analyzing newspaper discourse in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom. Ecological Economics. 2019 Aug 23;166:106426. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106426