WAR METAPHOR: CONCEIVING OF COVID-19 AMONG THAIS AND CHINESE

Abstract

This quantitative and qualitative study employed conceptual metaphor theory to analyze and compare the war metaphors used to present COVID-19 in Thai and Chinese. Data sources included government media, mass media, and social media. Results showed that both Thais and Chinese people systematically conceive of COVID-19 as war concept. Conceptual metaphor CONTROL OF COVID-19 IS WAR in Thai and Chinese had mapped some similarities in war concept to control of COVID-19 concept such as combatants, combat tactics, battlegrounds, weapons, and combat results. More varieties of metaphors were found in Chinese data, perhaps due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 control policies in China. Most of the metaphors were found in both Thai and Chinese social media, the Thai sources used more metaphorical expressions in mass media than in government media. In contrast, Chinese sources showed more metaphorical expressions in government media than in mass media, perhaps due to the discourse structure of sources from government media. Both Thais and Chinese people were fond of using war metaphors because Thailand and China have cultures, societies, and histories involving war. Thus, war metaphors were used to increase the efficiency of disseminating information about COVID-19 and persuade audiences to comply with the measures.