Mixed Multimodal Metaphors In Advertising In English

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to investigate the phenomenon of a multimodal verbal-visual metaphor and explore the possibility of labelling it 'mixed' (compared to mixed verbal monomodal metaphors). Among the main features of multimodal metaphors there are those characteristics that contribute to the development of the so-called cognitive dissonance (a psychological state of discomfort in a human). For the purposes of the current research, the case studies related to the most universal issues of human life (contemporary social and commercial advertisements) have been chosen. The analysis was carried out through a set of cognitive tools, such as conceptual metaphor analysis, conceptual integration, and image schema techniques to describe the interaction between metaphorical and metonymic processes that help to enrich the target domain with the concepts from several source domains that belong to different modes. As a result, we managed to identify the features which point to the mixed character of multimodal metaphors. Among them there are those characteristics that contribute to enhancing cognitive dissonance: the presence of two or more disconnected multimodal source domains; unclear, vague or ambiguous clues for metonymic mappings; elaboration of the blended meaning in the generic space and, most importantly, the so-called contextual density – ability to pack maximum information into the limited space. Some cognitively revealing and potentially beneficial applications of the directions of the research into the phenomenon of multimodality in metaphors have been pointed out.