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Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2022, 5(12); doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2022.051208.

Analysis of Taylor Swift’s Commencement Address at New York University from the Perspective of Conceptual Metaphor

Author(s)

Hu Xiaowen

Corresponding Author:
Hu Xiaowen
Affiliation(s)

School of European-American Languages & Culture, Guangxi University of Foreign Language, Nanning, China

Abstract

As a kind of the types of public speaking, the purpose of the commencement address is to encourage and enhance the self-confidence of the graduating college students. In recent years, the research on speech discourse analysis has gradually aroused the interest of domestic scholars. Based on the theory of conceptual metaphor put forward by Lakoff, this thesis analyzes the conceptual metaphors of Taylor Swift’s Commencement Address at New York University quantitatively and qualitatively, and aims to reveal how the speaker uses some language means to achieve her speech. This paper can further enrich the theory of public speaking, and provide some help for the improvement of the oral and appreciation skills of English learners at the same time.

Keywords

conceptual metaphor, commencement address, discourse analysis

Cite This Paper

Hu Xiaowen. Analysis of Taylor Swift’s Commencement Address at New York University from the Perspective of Conceptual Metaphor. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2022) Vol. 5, Issue 12: 52-58. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2022.051208.

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