The metaphorical model “gambling → socio-political and economic realities” in Russian, English, and French media space: a cognitive aspect

The research aims to develop a typology of metaphors based on associations with gambling within Russian, English, and French socio-economic and political media space. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it is the first to systematically categorize metaphorical representations following the “gambling → socio-political and economic realities” model from a comparative perspective, utilizing data extracted from Russian, English, and French linguistic corpora. The study synthesizes existing theoretical knowledge on metaphorization based on the symbols and meanings of gambling for a crucial segment of discourse associated with the formation of socially significant concepts. A classification of these metaphors was conducted, revealing both universal and culture-specific features in the conceptualization of various aspects of modern socio-political and economic activities. The results demonstrate that in ludic metaphors, the representation of socially significant concepts is built upon associations that reflect the complex processes of the socio-political and economic world order in an accessible and understandable way. Furthermore, the study highlights characteristics of objects and subjects of the surrounding reality that correlate with potential risks, luck, chance, and the quasi-legal or illicit nature of certain activities.