Metaphors in Luxury Hotel Websites: A Comparative Analysis Between Singapore and Hong Kong

This study examines metaphors in the hospitality discourse of Singapore (SG) and Hong Kong (HK) using conceptual metaphor theory, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis. We identify the key source domains employed in luxury hotel websites across both regions and use quantitative methods to reveal metaphorical patterns in each corpus. The findings reveal that the SG corpus exhibits a greater inclination toward FORTUNE metaphors, whereas the HK corpus shows a prominence of MAGIC metaphors. Against this background, we argue the importance of a frequency-based collocational approach for analyzing conceptual metaphors, as it facilitates the exploration of the sociocultural dimensions embedded in hospitality discourse.

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Publication Details

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-08-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906251356674
Primary Topic
Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Metaphors in Luxury Hotel Websites: A Comparative Analysis Between Singapore and Hong Kong

Kathleen Ahrens, Joanna Zhuoan Chen
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
article

Metaphors in Luxury Hotel Websites: A Comparative Analysis Between Singapore and Hong Kong

Kathleen Ahrens, Joanna Zhuoan Chen
article en

Abstract

This study examines metaphors in the hospitality discourse of Singapore (SG) and Hong Kong (HK) using conceptual metaphor theory, corpus linguistics, and discourse analysis. We identify the key source domains employed in luxury hotel websites across both regions and use quantitative methods to reveal metaphorical patterns in each corpus. The findings reveal that the SG corpus exhibits a greater inclination toward FORTUNE metaphors, whereas the HK corpus shows a prominence of MAGIC metaphors. Against this background, we argue the importance of a frequency-based collocational approach for analyzing conceptual metaphors, as it facilitates the exploration of the sociocultural dimensions embedded in hospitality discourse.

Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
Openalex Percentile: Top 78%
Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
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