Metaphors of Sustainable Development in Philippine Presidents’ Political Speeches: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Sustainable development in the Philippines has long been a standing concept as revealed in the metaphors employed by the national leaders in their inaugural addresses. Using Charteris - Black (2004) three-stage Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) in parallelism with Karlsson (2015) categorization of metaphors of sustainability, this study revealed that metaphor is pervasively used in Philippine political discourse. Specifically, in the genre of inaugural address, the rocket and runway metaphors are generally evident. From their inaugural addresses, the study has demonstrated that political leaders resort to metaphorical expressions in their speeches to chart their visions for the development of their nation both cognitively and conceptually. The study has further demonstrated that metaphors enabled the speakers project themselves as visionary and missionary leaders who have the interest of the people and the nation at heart, underscoring their dynamic perspectives which cascade to the people. Furthermore, the essence of metaphor in the speeches stress the influence of the leaders to achieve and maintain solidarity with the people, identifying themselves with the people so as to create a bond between them in their journey towards progress and development.