MULTIMODAL EXPRESSIONS OF FIGURATIVE THOUGHT : A STUDY OF THE SOVIET OCCUPATION ( 1940 – 1964 ) POSTERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55877/cc.vol19.43Keywords:
cognitive stylistics, figurative pattern, metaphor, metonymy, multimodalAbstract
The aim of the article is to analyse figurative language in use. According to the core writings in cognitive linguistics, figurative language is representative of figurative thought. Human beings express themselves figuratively because their thinking is primarily figurative. Similar ideas have been advanced since the writings of Max Black, Charles K. Ogden, I. A. Richards, and Paul Ricoeur; however, these ideas gained a wider recognition at the end of the 1980s, when George Lakoff and Mark Johnson published their seminal work “Metaphors We Live By”, thus propelling the development of cognitive linguistics and cognitive stylistics. The properties of figurative thought are excellently demonstrated via those examples where interaction of the verbal and visual discourse occurs. The poster collection of the National Library of Latvia is well-suited for this purpose. The posters created during the Soviet occupation (1940–1991) abound in propaganda; nevertheless, they present a remarkable source for research. Seven posters from 1940 to 1964 are analysed in this article. The eventual results demonstrate the pervasive use of metonymies and their interaction with other figurative patterns to shape multimodal discourse.Downloads
References
Barcelona, A. (ed) (2003). Metaphor and Metonymy at the Crossroads. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Barzun, J. (2021). European Society and Culture Since 1914: The trappings of dictatorship. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Available: https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/The-trappings-of-dictatorship (viewed 26.02.2021).
Black, M. (1962). Models and Metaphor: Studies in Language and Philosophy. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
Charteris-Black, J. (2004). Corpus Approaches to Critical Metaphor Analysis. Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Charteris-Black, J. (2019). Metaphors of Brexit: No Cherries on the Cake? Basingstoke; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Evans, V. (2007). A Glossary of Cognitive Linguistics. Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press.
Forceville, C., and Urios-Aparisi, E. (eds) (2009). Multimodal Metaphor. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Forceville, C. (2009). Non-verbal and Multimodal Metaphor in a Cognitivist Framework: Agendas for Research. In: C. Forceville and E. Urios-Aparisi (eds.). Multimodal Metaphor. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 19–42.
Gibbs, R. W. Jr. ([1994] 2002). The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language and Understanding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Goodman, S. (1996). Visual English. In: S. Goodman and D. Graddol (eds). Redesigning English: New Texts, New Identities. London; New York: Routledge, pp. 38–72.
Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor: A Practical Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
Krasovska, E. (2013). Metonīmija un figuratīvā domāšana: Kognitīvās stilistikas pieeja. Promocijas darbs. Rīga: Latvijas Kultūras akadēmija.
Kress, G., and Van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. London: Hodder Education.
Lakoff, G., and Johnson, M. ([1980] 2003). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press.
Leech, G. N. ([1969] 1991). A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry. London; New York: Longman.
Margolis, E., and Laurence, S. (1999). Concepts: Core Readings. Cambridge: MA: The MIT Press.
Margolis, E., and Laurence, S. (2015). The Conceptual Mind: New Directions in the Study of Concepts. Cambridge: MA: The MIT Press.
Naciscione, A. (2010). Stylistic Use of Phraseological Units in Discourse. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Ogden, C. K., and Richards, I. A. (1946). The Meaning of Meaning: Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism. The eighth ed. Harcourt: Brace & World, Inc.
Ricoeur, P. ([1975] 2008). The Rule of Metaphor: Multi-disciplinary studies of the creation of meaning in language. Translated by R. Czerny with K. McLaughlin and J. Costello, Sj. London; New York: Routledge.
Schiffrin, D., Tannen, D., and Hamilton, H. E. ([2001] 2010). Introduction. In: D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen, and H. E. Hamilton (eds). The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. The eighth ed. Malden; Oxford; Carlton: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 1–10.
Stöckl, H. (2004). In between Modes: Language and Image in Printed Media. In: E. Ventola, C. Cassily and M. Kaltenbacher, (eds). Perspectives on Multimodality. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 9–30.
The National Library of Latvia (1899–2000). CD Collection: Poster in Latvia. 1899–1945.
The National Library of Latvia (1899–2000). CD Collection: Poster in Latvia. 1945–2000.
Veinberga, E. (2014). Multimodal Metonymic Image of the Bottle in Advertising. In: E. Račienė (ed). Language in Different Contexts. Research papers, Vol VI (1), Part 1. Vilnius: Lietuvos edukologijos universiteto leidykla, pp. 182–191.
Veinberga, E. (2020). Stylistic Techniques in the Representation of Latvian Character: A Study of Gatis Šļūka’s Cartoons. In: A. Laķe (ed). Culture Crossroads, Vol. 16. Riga: Research Centre of the Latvian Academy of Culture, pp. 16–29.
WDS [1990] 2011. ([1990) 2011). Wales, K. A Dictionary of Stylistics. Harlow: Longman.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Culture Crossroads
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
