The analysis of metaphors and metonymies in political speeches

The paper studies metaphors and metonymies usage in 2007 pre-electoral speech by the former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who has the reputation of being an excellent rhetorician, delivered at the 11th Croatian Democratic Union annual meeting. Successful politicians’ language happens to be persuasive and for the purpose of persuasion, among other rhetorical strategies, they use highly conventionalized metaphors and metonymies. This paper aims at classifying metaphors and metonymies and examining their purpose, thus identifying the speaker's covert intentions. The analysis shows that metaphors and metonymies are used for creating positive self-representation of both the speaker and his political colleagues and simultaneously negative representation of the speaker's political opponents. In addition, the speaker attributes himself the roles of a father and a savior the nation so desperately needs.