Justice reform in Albania through metaphor: A comparative critical discourse analysis of political speeches in Albanian and English
Justice reform in Albania through metaphor: A comparative critical discourse analysis of political speeches in Albanian and English

Summary/Abstract: This study analyses the use of metaphors in political speeches on justice reform delivered in Albanian and English, focusing on their semantic, emotional and persuasive functions. 166 metaphors were identified from a corpus of ten speeches delivered between 2016 and 2024, five of which were in Albanian delivered by Socialist Party representatives and five in English delivered by international actors, such as representatives of the European Union and the United States. The study is based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff and Johnson 1980) and Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough 1995; van Dijk 2006). These metaphors are classified according to valence as positive, descriptive or neutral, and negative, each indicating different rhetorical purposes. Negative metaphors dominate in Albanian language speeches, often expressing strong feelings of pain, uncertainty, and distrust. In English-language speeches, negative metaphors are used more selectively and strategically to maintain diplomatic neutrality. Positive metaphors prevail in these speeches, framing justice reform as a hopeful, necessary and transformative process. Findings demonstrate that metaphors shape public perception and guide their emotional responses towards reform. In addition, the comparative analysis employed in this research demonstrates that variation in the use of metaphors across speeches depends on contextual factors like the speech setting, the speaker’s role, and the reform stage, revealing their discourse function in constructing public narratives of transitional democracies.

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