Metaphor In Prabowo’s Speeches

Abstract

This research analyzes ontological metaphors in Prabowo Subianto’s international speeches. It aims to identify the types of ontological metaphors, determine the dominant type, and explain the conceptual meanings conveyed through these metaphors. The data were taken from the English transcripts of three speeches: the G20 Summit in Brazil in 2024, the World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates in 2025, and the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia in 2025. This research used a descriptive qualitative method. The data were collected through documentation by reading the transcripts and checking them against the official video recordings. The analysis was based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), with a focus on ontological metaphor. The analysis identified 11 ontological metaphor expressions. Nine expressions (81.8%) were classified as entity and substance metaphors, one (9.1%) as a container metaphor, and one (9.1%) as personification. Entity and substance metaphors were therefore the dominant type. These expressions present abstract political, social, and environmental ideas as things, substances, bounded spaces, or human-like entities. This helps make ideas such as commitment, political action, historical conditions, public benefit, and environmental importance more concrete for the audience. The findings show how ontological metaphors help communicate abstract concepts in Prabowo’s selected international speeches.