Metaphor Research in the 21st Century: A Bibliographic Analysis

Metaphor is widely used in human communication. The cohort of scholars studying metaphor in various fields is continuously growing, but very few work has been done in bibliographical analysis of metaphor research. This paper examines the advancements in metaphor research from 2000 to 2017. Using data retrieved from Microsoft Academic Graph and Web of Science, this paper makes a macro analysis of metaphor research, and expounds the underlying patterns of its development. Taking into consideration sub-fields of metaphor research, the internal analysis of metaphor research is carried out from a micro perspective to reveal the evolution of research topics and the inherent relationships among them. This paper provides novel insights into the current state of the art of metaphor research as well as future trends in this field, which may spark new research interests in metaphor from both linguistic and interdisciplinary perspectives.