Research on Metaphor and its Functions in Economic Text

摘要

This study aims to explore metaphor models and analyze their important functions in economic text. The corpora are from the articles of The Economist and China Economic Times from 2011-2012. Metaphorical expressions are selected and classified. It is found that metaphors are pervasive in economic texts. Three functions of metaphor, namely rhetoric, cognitive and textual functions, are discussed. This research is significant in helping readers to build or strengthen metaphorical thinking for reading and writing, so as to better promote economic exchanges between China and western countries.