| dc.description.abstract | In this article, some stylistic and pragmatic aspects of cognitive
metaphors in the speeches of renowned Bulgarian politicians from the end of
the 19th century are discussed. The objects of analysis are the parliamentary
speeches of Konstantin Stoilov and Stephan Stambolov, given in the same
circumstances of time and culture. Both politicians are highly educated, and
education is the key to the choice of metaphors. It is here that we find a
paradoxical contrast to contemporary Bulgarian political speeches, which are
characterized by bombastic statements, illocutionary incompetence and
performative aberrations. The political speeches of today have a great stock
of metaphors with cognitive content, but they are mostly a product of
intuitive reflection of untamed instinct. Oratory skills, an understanding of
empiricism and the successful usage of stylistic figures all make speech
affective and ensure that the communicative intent is fulfilled. There is an
inverse proportionality between the intelligence of the orators and the
spontaneity in their choice of metaphors: the higher the former, the lower the
latter. In Stoilov’s and Stambolov’s speeches, there is a strong intensity of
metaphors with deep cultural meaning, which are based on high intelligence,
as well as morally legitimated national identification. | en_US |
