RUDN Journal of Language Studies, Semiotics and Semantics (Dec 2015)
Metaphors in Sporting Mass Media Describing Basketball World
Abstract
Thousands of words are used both in English and Russian as metaphors and not only in literary or poetic language, but also in everyday language as for example in periodicals or everyday. This article regards the usage of metaphors in sporting mass media describing the world of basketball whereby it is necessary to note that the sporting discourse itself explicates concept sphere being correlated with the system of senses determining sporting activity. As sport belongs to human playing activity it has an imitation character hence concepts and vocabulary in this discourse representing the given type of activity are as a rule the secondary ones. In the article the attention is paid to existing differences between English and Russian discourses which manifest themselves particularly in addressing to educational sphere in American discourse because sport in the first place is university one, e.g. “freshman” (первокурсник) whereas in Russian discourse a new player is called «новобранец». On the whole, metaphorical comprehension of sporting events in sporting mass media while describing a basketball game is revealed in the same paradigm as football, hockey as well as other team games. The most frequent metaphors comparing game with “war”, “fight” and likening it to “spectacle” - show, theatre and witchcraft.
