Corpus-based Conceptual Metaphor Recognition in Legal Discourse: A Case study of Cambridge Legal Corpus

Abstract

Metaphor is a universal feature of legal language, which not only reflects the human cognitive structure in the legislation, but also shapes the application of law. This research aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of case decisions in English and Welsh judgements from 2010 onwards, in order to deepen the recognition and understanding of metaphors in legal discourse. To this end, the research adopts a corpus-based approach and carefully analyzes the contents of the Cambridge Legal Corpus through the Word Sketch to identify the most common conceptual metaphors in the three target domains of COURT, LAW and COMPANY. Data analysis shows that these metaphors not only have their own background and meaning, but also serve as a part of the conceptual group of law, demonstrating the systematization and relevance of metaphors in legal discourse.