Allomorphism and isomorphism in somatic metaphor of English and Russian (Based on political discourse)

Being based on the idea of the human body and its parts, somatic metaphors are frequently used in political discourse in many languages, and this fact makes their analysis significant for understanding cognitive processes that underlie the linguistic transmission of information. This article aims to display the similarities (isomorphism) and differences (allomorphism) of somatic metaphors in English political discourse compared to their Russian translation patterns. The material is comprised by the examples containing 7 somatic metaphors selected from modern English-language texts found in political media. The material was processed using linguistic and discursive analyses, methods of comparison, juxtaposition, synthesis and classification. The results show that the isomorphism of the somatic metaphor of English-language and Russian-language political discourse is manifested in the universality of somatic metaphorical concepts. On the other hand, allomorphism is expressed in the peculiarities of their manifestations in a particular language. The results enable to conclude that allomorphism and isomorphism are important features of the somatic metaphor in English and Russian political discourse.