The consequences of conceptual metaphor for understanding outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia

Abstract

Based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT: Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), people may use metaphors in ways that limit their understanding of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs) and other groups that have interactions with the Australian justice system. This thesis comprises a series of three studies that test this proposition using an exploratory-sequential mixedmethods approach. The first two studies analysed linguistic metaphors used by public and journalist contributors to written Australian online news discourse about OMCGs, hackers, and asylum seekers between the years 2013-2016. The results were consistent with CMT's claims in that a) people use metaphors to communicate about groups b) these metaphors refer to abstract 'target' entities in terms of physical 'source' concepts and are c) conventional, pervasive, systematic, coherent, and complex. Most linguistic metaphors were consistent with the notion of mental-space level conceptual metaphors, proposed in the revised or 'extended' CMT. A third study tested the framing effects of these metaphor types upon judgements about the collective properties of OMCGs, hackers, and asylum seekers. These findings were more subtle and nuanced than anticipated based on CMT, in that metaphor frames had weak effects (and in some cases, no significant effects) upon judgements about OMCGs, no significant effects upon some judgements about asylum seekers but strong effects upon others, and strong effects upon judgements about hackers. The consequences of these findings for research on CMT and for those engaged in understanding groups such as OMCGs are considered in turn.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English