Abstract
The increasing interest in conceptual metaphors research in applied linguistics, communication and media studies is based on their ubiquity in media language/reportage, as well as how they shape audiences’ construing of the media. This study was aimed at bridging the gap of whether conceptual metaphors exist in Nigerian newspaper titles. The instruments used were Nigerian newspaper titles, and the type of data obtained was qualitative, which was analysed through discourse analysis. Fifteen titles were purposively sampled from representative newspaper across five geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The instruments Metaphoric expressions were identified using the Metaphor Identification Procedure (Vrije University), and then semantically exculpated via the Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the Cognitive Interactionist model. The results of the study identified fifteen conceptual metaphors distributed across English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba titles, confirming the cross-linguistic pervasiveness of conceptual metaphors in newspaper titles. Source domains were diverse, with polemology and public administration emerging as recurrent framing resources. Functionally, the conceptual metaphors portray newspapers in three major target roles: (1) mirrors/images of society, (2) presenters of authoritative, quality information, and (3) protectors/defenders of the public interest. Conceptual metaphor usage appears to enhance memorability, signal editorial stance, and potentially influence readership perception and market competitiveness. The paper argues that newspaper title metaphors are strategic rhetorical devices with potential editorial and commercial implications. Larger, comparative studies of metaphor use across global newspaper titles, quantitative linkage of metaphor prevalence to readership metrics, and examination of metaphoric naming in broadcast media are recommended, to deepen understanding of how conceptual metaphors mediate public engagement with news, towards increasing our understanding of the way conceptual metaphors permeate the way we live.
Keywords: Conceptual metaphors, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Newspaper Titles, Nigerian Newspapers
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2025.v01i03.028
author/Aliyu Masa’udu
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 1(3) | December 2025 |
