Abstract

In this paper I examine the different types of metaphoric representation in French and English within the domain of security and defence in Europe. The analysis takes the form of a comparison of the metaphors used in press reports of two summit meetings dealing with issues of security (Nato in London, July 1990, and CSCE in Paris, November 1990). It is argued that even though some metaphors occur in both languages, there are some marked differences between the way security and Europe itself are conceptualized metaphorically in French and English, and that these differences have implications for negotiating the changing political and military relationships between the countries of post-cold-war Europe.