Abstract

This article analyzes the phrase "corporate rule" and related expressions as they occur in the discourse of globalization. It argues that the cognitive dimension of conceptual figures depends substantially on the figures' rhetoricity. The analysis has three parts: conceptual metaphor analysis that considers metonymy, primary metaphors, and rhetoricity; rhetorical analysis that considers intensity, responsiveness, and the role of the utterer; and analysis of "licensing stories" that are formed through conceptual blending of The Developed World and The Developing World. This article claims that rhetorical analysis is an important method for metaphor studies because it allows us to see connections between metaphoric expressions and relevant discourse and to recognize the patterns of variation that attend figurative expressions.