Abstract
The present study is an analysis of the representation of the crises brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at the socio-economic front in Saudi Arabia and the world over, in two Saudi English dailies, Saudi Gazette and Arab News. The study analyses the use of metaphors in the language employed in reporting the news items or presentation of expert opinions on the virus and the disease, and the deeper significance of the use of such metaphors in writing on the pandemic and its causes. Cognitive Metaphor Theory (CMT) has been employed as framework of analysis and the data have been analysed using Pragglejaz Group’s MIP. Six news and opinionated items (two from Saudi Gazette and four from Arab News) have been analysed. The analysis shows that the crisis writing relies heavily on war metaphors, Sinophobia metaphors, and metaphors allaying fears. The metaphorical language used in the selected English dailies plays a big role in allaying the public fears on the spread of the disease and putting the government programs in the right perspective. The use of metaphorical language to talk about the pandemic and its potent causes has been quite effective in addressing the sensitive issues since human psyche displays deep-set prejudices against certain panic conditions and social formations.
Highlights
1.1 The Research BackgroundEver since a new strain of SARS—(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) like virus was identified in November 2019 in Wuhan, China, causing acute respiratory syndrome leading to most patients’ death, there has been a continuous stream, or rather overflow, of information on the deadly virus, called SARS-CoV-2 (SARS Coronavirus-2), and the disease caused by the virus as Covid-19 (Coronavirus Disease-19), in print as well as visual media
The present study is an analysis of the representation of the crises brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at the socio-economic front in Saudi Arabia and the world over, in two Saudi English dailies, Saudi Gazette and Arab News
The analysis shows that the crisis writing relies heavily on war metaphors, Sinophobia metaphors, and metaphors allaying fears
Summary
1.1 The Research BackgroundEver since a new strain of SARS—(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) like virus was identified in November 2019 in Wuhan, China, causing acute respiratory syndrome leading to most patients’ death, there has been a continuous stream, or rather overflow, of information on the deadly virus, called SARS-CoV-2 (SARS Coronavirus-2), and the disease caused by the virus as Covid-19 (Coronavirus Disease-19), in print as well as visual media. Under the given circumstances, in the prevalence of so many [conspiracy] theories running amuck among the public (Alper et al, 2020; Miller, 2020), and information and misinformation freely available to the public at large in the age of the Internet, it became imperative for state governments to provide authentic information to people. Since media discourse draws largely on shared knowledge (O’Keeffe, 2006), it is pertinent to investigate how media discourse makes use of metaphorical language, which draws on shared knowledge. Use of metaphorical language bears its own significance in such an atmosphere. The current research has its genesis in the academic curiosity to study the language, especially the use of metaphors, employed in Saudi English dailies in reporting Covid-19 crisis in Saudi Arabia and the world over
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
