I am researching present-day British Quaker discourse, looking particularly at features that make it distinctive in comparison with non-Quaker discourse. Currently one of my main areas of study is the use of metaphor by Quakers but later in my research I will also consider other facets of discourse.
Topics
Quaker, discourse, present-day, metaphor, distinctiveness
About Keith Wilson
(United Kingdom)
I chose this area of study because although research has been carried out into the use of language by early Quakers, little work has been done on Quaker discourse in the present day. To remedy this significant omission – at least in part – I am using the techniques of corpus linguistics to analyse texts taken from two publications: The Friend and Quaker News. My research covers the period 2000 to 2021.
My particular interest in metaphor is rooted in its ubiquity, its power to persuade and its capacity for conveying hidden or even unintended meaning, all of which are aspects that I believe have particularly relevance for a faith-based community.
My aim, through the analysis of metaphors and other distinctive features of Quaker discourse, is to provide new insights into how Quakers represent themselves and their ideas to the non-Quaker world and to other Quakers.
