An Eco-critical Metaphorical Analysis of the General Debate at the UN General Assembly Between China and the United States

Abstract

Grounded in ecolinguistics and critical metaphor analysis, a corpus was compiled from statements by China and the U.S. in the United Nations General Assembly General Debate. Using Wmatrix 7 software and the MIPVU metaphor identification procedure, a 
comparative analysis was conducted on metaphor types and ecological value orientations in the two countries’ discourse. The results show that China favors metaphors of “change” and “society,”highlighting ecologically beneficial metaphors such as “development,” while avoiding destructive ones. The United States, by contrast, prefers “society” and “movement” metaphors, and in addition to beneficial metaphors such as “support,” also employs destructive “war” metaphors. Both countries use ecologically ambiguous metaphors related to “climate change.” The study reveals the attitudes held by China and the United States in global governance, as well as the motivations behind their different policies and the differences in their ideologies. The significance of the study lies in integrating ecolinguistics and metaphor analysis within a corpus-based approach, thereby offering an interdisciplinary perspective for international discourse research.