Metaphor-based reinterpretation of specialised vocabulary in the media

Abstract This article investigates the metaphorisation of terminological vocabulary in contemporary German-language media discourse, drawing on a corpus of over 12,800 metaphorised terms from leading newspapers and magazines published in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 2020 and 2025. The study demonstrates that metaphor functions not merely as a stylistic device but as a powerful cognitive instrument for conceptualising political, economic, and sociocultural reality. The principal mechanism through which metaphorisation operates is determinologisation – the acquisition by terms of new figurative meanings within general usage, while the original terminological meaning remains active as a semantic background. Three dominant metaphorical macromodels are identified and analysed: “Politics, Economics, and Social Life as Spectacle”, “Political, Economic, and Social Life is War”, and “Political, Economic, and Social Problems are Diseases; Politicians and Economists are Doctors”. Each model is examined through its frame and slot structure, revealing distinct pragmatic functions. Metaphorised terms simultaneously perform informational, interpretive, evaluative, and persuasive roles, constructing specific cognitive frames that shape readers’ perceptions of social reality. The findings highlight the systemic character of terminological metaphorisation and its central role in the discursive construction of a sociopolitical worldview in contemporary German-language media.