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Abstract
This study is an examination of the metaphorical language used by President George Bush about educational reform, specifically with regard to “America 2000,”; his proclaimed education strategy for the nation and the major educational reform bill he sent to Congress. We address the questions: What language is used by President Bush to construct “America 2000”; metaphorically? Was a coherent metaphorical concept created for President Bush's audience? More specifically, we focus on: What is “America 2000”; according to President Bush? The data base for the study consisted of 38 presidential speeches delivered between April of 1991 and October of 1992. From our identification and analysis of his discursive vehicles, we discovered a conceptual metaphor of “America 2000”; as a journey. Close examination of his language, however, indicated mixed and contradictory references to “America 2000”; as a journey. We conclude that his discourse did not come together to constitute a coherent, conceptual metaphor of “America 2000,”; and thus contributed to an ambiguity about what it was for President Bush's audience.
Notes
Funding for this study was provided by a research grant from the Royalty Research Fund of the University of Washington. The authors gratefully acknowledge John Klockner and Laura Manning for providing technical assistance with the study, and Anne Carroll for helping with data preparation. We also deeply appreciate the insights about metaphor provided by Haig Bosmajian and Leah Ceccarelli. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions.