Metaphors in financial analysis reports : how are emotions expressed?

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

English for Specific Purposes: An International Research Journal

Publication Date

7-1-2016

Volume

43

First Page

37

Last Page

48

Publisher

Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Metaphor, BNP Paribas, Credit crisis, Corpus linguistics, Emotion, Financial analysis reports

Abstract

This study critically investigates the use of emotion metaphors in a corpus of BNP Paribas financial analysis reports produced during the credit crisis from 2011 to 2012. The corpus was examined to identify constituent words in the semantic category of ‘Emotion’. Concordances for selected words in ‘Emotion’ were examined by adopting the Metaphor Identification Procedure in order to identify metaphors in the corpus. The emotion metaphors identified were then classified into different semantic domains, underpinned by Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The main findings of the study revolve around the conceptualisation of emotion words reflecting the market turbulence circa 2011. In addition, the findings show that BNP Paribas' corporate culture is revealed by the use of emotion metaphors in their financial analysis reports. The bank also uses varied metaphors to describe the emotions of investors. The study concludes that the identification of emotion terms for a conceptual metaphor analysis can be more effectively carried out by combining the methods of corpus linguistics, semantic annotation and Metaphor Identification Procedure. The study suggests important pedagogical implications for both ESP teachers and members of the financial services profession.

DOI

10.1016/j.esp.2016.04.001

Print ISSN

08894906

E-ISSN

18731937

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Ho, J., & Cheng, W. (2016). Metaphors in financial analysis reports: How are emotions expressed? English for Specific Purposes, 43, 37-48. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2016.04.001

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