From Critical Metaphor Analysis to Critical Reading Pedagogy: U.S. Military Discourse on China

Yitian Zhou; Lanjie Li; Yuxuan Zhang

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202611_9(11).0010

Authors

Yitian Zhou Rocket Force University of Engineering, Xi’an 710025, China
Lanjie Li Rocket Force University of Engineering, Xi’an 710025, China
Yuxuan Zhang Rocket Force University of Engineering, Xi’an 710025, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202611_9(11).0010

Keywords:

Critical metaphor analysis, Military academy English instruction, U.S. military discourse.

Abstract

With Critical Metaphor Analysis ( CMA ) as the analytical tool, this study explores the transformation path from discourse analysis to critical reading teaching in military academy English classroom. Three types of corpus are selected in this study : China 's Military and Security Development Report 2025, the speech of Secretary of Defense Hegseth at the Reagan National Defense Forum, and CNN 's military reports on China, representing official policy discourse, elite political discourse and media public discourse respectively. Through analysis, it is found that the three types of corpora are dominated by metaphors of threat, competition and challenge, forming a closed loop of communication from official framing to elite assertion to media reinforcement. On this basis, the study designs a four-step teaching sequence of ' recognition-comparison-criticism-output ', and provides an evaluation scheme to provide direct application case materials and method references for critical reading teaching of English courses in military academies.

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