Metaphor as a Simplification Strategy: A Cross-Linguistic Corpus Study of Climate Change Terminology
Abstract
munication. Through a contrastive analysis of English, Chinese, and Spanish popular science texts, focusing on the terms "carbon sink,
" "mitigation, " and "adaptation, " the research identifies dominant simplification strategies. Results show English texts favor WAR and
ECONOMIC metaphors, Chinese texts prefer SYSTEM BALANCE and KINSHIP metaphors, while Spanish texts utilize more JOUR
NEY metaphors and definitional expansion. The findings demonstrate that terminology simplification is a culturally-embedded framing
act, where metaphor choice constructs culturally-specific narratives about climate action. The study highlights implications for culturally
aware science communication.
Keywords
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/frim.v4i4.9050
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