Metaphor analysis – how it works with QDA software

Our language is full of figurative expressions, it’s “clear as mud”! Metaphor analysis is dedicated to the systematic analysis of these images. This article is aimed at anyone who already has a rough idea of methaphor analysis but is wondering how this can be implemented with QDA software.

There are various approaches to metaphor analysis that we cannot go into individually. However, the overall challenge is always to identify metaphors within a text, to mark them, to structure them (semantically, thematically or according to source and target area) and finally to summarize them into concepts.

This can be done with pen and paper or with software support. We show it here using a text example from Jan Kruse, Kay Biesel, Christian Schmieder: Metaphernanalyse. A reconstructive approach (2011). Christian Schmieder (2007 ) has presented a detailed elaboration of the material described here. You can see what the result might look like.

In this example, we are looking at the necessary technical steps and suggestions on how to use the functions of f4analyse. Important methodological steps such as clarifying the target area are deliberately omitted here; please refer to the relevant methodological literature for such questions.

Step 1: Identify and mark metaphors

Even if the term code does not belong to metaphor analysis, this is exactly the function we use in f4analyse in this step: We create a new code with the name “Identified metaphors”. First of all, this is our collection area for all recognized metaphors. We assign all possible metaphors to this code.

The result of this step is a text in which the metaphors are underlined. We are always amazed at how many metaphors are used in a normal conversation.

Step 2: Describe and summarize metaphors

After clicking on “Identified metaphors” in the “Selection” tab, you can now see all selected text passages.

We now create subcodes for the individual metaphors. We already use a description with the structure “X is Y” or “X does Y” as the name of the subcodes, e.g. “Fertilization is a meeting”. As these descriptions are often rather provisional, we note ideas in the comments field of this subcode. Metaphors that have similarities (same source and target area) are sorted together to form a subcode.

Step 3: Completing / reconstructing the metaphors

We then open the subcodes in the “Selection” tab. Here we can now see all the assigned text passages and can describe the images they contain in more detail, summarize them and, if necessary, think about them further.

Step 4: Interpreting the metaphorical concepts

Various questions are posed to the material here: What does the metaphorical language hide? What is the connotation of the metaphor? Where do the concepts collide? Where are they coherent? etc.

This can be realized wonderfully in the “Selection” tab, where you can see all assigned text passages listed. To compare two metaphorical concepts, you can use “Selection A/B” and look at two concepts side by side.

In-depth literature:

Kruse, Jan; Biesel, Kay; Schmieder, Christian (2011): Metaphor analysis. A reconstructive approach, VS Verlag. – A description of the procedure in the narrower sense can be found here on p. 93 ff. The approach presented in this work is one method of metaphor analysis among many.

Kruse, Jan; Biesel, Kay; Schmieder, Christian (2012): Review: A replica of: Schmitt, Rudolf (2011). Review Essay: Reconstructive and other metaphor analyses [39 Absätze]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 13(2), Art. 10, where a discussion of the method can be found.

Schmieder, Christian; Biesel, Kay (2016): Metaphor analysis as a reconstructive method. An introduction to nursing science. In: Hülsken-Giesler, Manfred; Kreutzer, Susanne; Dütthorn, Nadin (eds.): Rekonstruktive Fallarbeit in der Pflege. Methodological reflections and practical relevance for nursing science, nursing education and direct nursing care. Osnabrück. S. 131-161. – This work contains another practical example.

Schmitt, Rudolf (2011): Review Essay: Reconstructive and other metaphor analyses [50 Absätze]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 13(1), Art. 2.

Schmitt, Rudolf; Schröder, Julia; Pfaller Larissa (2018): Systematic metaphor analysis. An introduction. Springer VS. – This is a systematic overview.