Conceptual metaphors and sound images of the euro crisis

Abstract

Radio is a media which communicates its messages through two tools: sound and the making of sound images. To achieve it, radio deploys a wide range of evocative linguistics resources, which can be visual as well as conceptual, close to representations of its audience everyday life. By building conceptual metaphors, which allow turning abstract notions into specific ones, radio does achieve to explain and show the reality. The aim of this research is to describe and determine how radio reported the crisis of the euro by creating sound images. In particular, it analyzes the creation of the conceptual metaphor crisis as a disease on the radio programme ‘El equipo económico de La linterna de la Cadena COPE’ from May 2010 to July 2012. The creation of that conceptual metaphor and the related sound images were made to fulfil radio’s information and educational role by addressing complex issues with everyday language.)