Affilare le armi. Dall’antica Roma ai social


Abstract


Some common Italian sayings are rooted in similar expressions used in the Latin texts: these are mostly lexicalized metaphors originating from the use of conceptual images. This is the case of «sharpening your weapons»: this saying, which has established itself above all on the media and in the language of politics and sport since the 1960s, recalls some military metaphors applied to the context of classical oratory. The study of its origins says a lot about the dynamics of communication established in contemporary society.

Keywords: sharpening your weapons; metaphor; Cicero; communication; social media

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