On Multimodal Metonymy And Its Functions In National Image Promotion Documentary

Metonymy is a more fundamental cognitive mechanism than metaphor.With the development of cognitive linguistics,the existing researches on metonymy have stretched from static discourse to multimodal discourse and the studies concerning multimodal metaphor and the interplay of multimodal metaphor and metonymy have gradually emerged.However,the study of multimodal metonymy alone is rarely seen and the internal mechanism and functions of multimodal metonymy need to be further explored.Based upon Al-Sharafi's model of textual metonymy and the prototypical classification by Peirsman and Geeraerts,this thesis strives to investigate multimodal metonymy and its functions in national image promotion documentaries(NIPDs)with a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative research.First,the sample videos are loaded into Video to GIF Converter,and multimodal metonymies are subsequently selected and classified.Then,the data is described and the features of statistical distribution and possible causes are analyzed.Last,based on the self-built closed corpus,the functions of multimodal metonymy,namely,representational function as well as cohesive and coherent function are explored.The major research findings are as follows:(1)640 multimodal metonymies are extracted from the self-built corpus,which can be classified into 11 categories.The most pervasive categories are Single Entity for Collection(38.59%)and Sub Event for Complex Event(13.90%),while the least popular categories are Potential for Actual(0.03%)and Instrument for Event(0.02%).This indicates that NIPD is prone to combine Single Entity for Collection,Sub Event for Complex Event with other metonymic types to achieve specific aims of publicity;(2)The meaning representation of NIPDs is realized by two means,namely,single metonymic type and combination of different metonymic types.Four prominent single types are shared in the three NIPDs.They are Single Entity for Collection,Sub Event for Complex Event,Action for State and Spatial Part for Whole,with a total percentage of 87.36%,84.92%and 84.14%in the three NIPDs respectively.Three combination models of multimodal metonymy are Piece of Clothing for Person,Location for Located,Single Entity for Collection;Piece of Clothing for Person,Action for State,Single Entity for Collection;Consequent for Antecedent and Sub Event for Complex Event;(3)Text cohesion in NIPDs is achieved by two lexical cohesive devices of repetition and synonymy though FORM FOR FORM,FORM FOR CONCEPT and FORM FOR THING metonymic relations;(4)Text coherence in NIPDs,which is motivated by contiguity and causality,is realized by a collaboration of schema,script and scenario.Schema is related to the prediction of entities and objects.Script involves the reasoning of sequenced actions and events.Script is in relation to the organization of arbitrary actions and events.To sum up,by investigating the mechanism of meaning representation as well as text cohesion and coherence in NIPD from a perspective of multimodal metonymy,the study expands the realm of conceptual metonymy theory,enriches the relevant studies on multimodal metonymy and provides new insights for the issue of text cohesion and coherence.What's more,it also has practical implications for the production and publicity of NIPD.