An Analysis Of Multimodal Metaphors From Relevance Theory

Metaphor is always an important research subject in linguistics. The coming of multimedia age gives rise to a new research angle for this subject:the study of multimodal metaphor. This thesis attempts to make an analysis of multimodal metaphors within the framework of relevance theory. In the RT’s view, metaphor is non-departure from a norm of literalness. According to Sperber and Wilson (2008), metaphor is just one end of the literal-loose-hyperbolic-metaphorical continuum. They illustrate that the ostensive-inferential model is totally capable in the metaphorical analysis.On the basis of the RT’s view on metaphor, together with Forceville’s (1996,2009) previous studies on multimodal metaphor and Francisco Yus’(2009) unified account on verbal and non-verbal metaphor, present research aims to propose a theoretical model for interpreting how the multimodal metaphor accomplishes the communicative act. By providing linguistic expression, the communicator actually wants to deliver the communicative intentions underlying the surface linguistic phenomenon. So the essence of multimodal metaphor, as well as other expressive forms, is an ostension, giving out evidence for the addressee to inference the addresser’s intentions.Some plane ads will be adopted to display a panoramic view of the interpretive procedures on this visual-verbal type multimodal metaphor. The visual and verbal inputs are ostensive stimulus to activate a set of contextual assumptions in the mutual manifestness cognitive environment. Then the explicit content and implications can be got, thus an overall interpretation can be achieved by the addressee. At last, the poetic effects of multimodal metaphors will be explored via an analysis of strong and weak communication.