A Cognitive Study On Multimodal Metaphor In Coco

With the gradual maturity of the film industry,metaphors have been widely used in films.With the deepening of metaphor research,researchers have realized that the carrier of metaphor not only exists in language itself,but also can be represented in the form of sound,images and so on,showing more and more multimodality.The film integrates symbols such as image,sound,technology,color,the cross application of verbal mode,sound mode and pictorial mode is a typical multimodal text,therefore,the frequency of multimodal metaphors in the film is very high.From the perspective of the dimension of film expression effects,the application of metaphor’s multimodal presentation makes it easier for the audience to understand and resonate with the emotions expressed in films.By analyzing the distribution and meaning construction of multimodal metaphors in the animated film Coco,this paper aims to further expand the research scope of multimodal metaphors and add some evidence for the practical application of multimodal metaphors in films.It also provides a cognitive basis for viewers to better understand the film.Firstly,the Conceptual Metaphor Theory proposed by Lakoff & Johnson(1980)and Multimodal Metaphor proposed by Forceville & Urious-Aparisi(2009)are reviewed in detail.Secondly,based on the theory mentioned above,and data are collected from the screen capture of different clips extracted from the film Coco,this paper attempts to analyze multimodal metaphors in the film by virtue of classifications of Conceptual Metaphor Theory(Lakoff & Johnson1980).Finally,the author attempts to analyze how the verbal,pictorial and sound modes interact to achieve the construction of metaphorical meaning.The research findings are as follows.Firstly,multimodal ontological metaphors mainly include PERSON metaphors,CONTAINER metaphors and ENTITY metaphors.Multimodal structural metaphors are mostly composed of LIFE metaphors,DEATH metaphors and FIGHT metaphors.Multimodal orientational metaphors are composed of IN metaphor,UP metaphor and DOWN metaphor.Secondly,verbal modes and pictorial modes are the most frequently used modes in almost all multimodal metaphors.Therefore,they are considered as the basic way to transmit information.As an aid,sound modes also play a vital role.Thirdly,the complementary relationship between different modes will affect the construction of metaphorical meaning.Sound modes strengthen the metaphorical expression,and the non-reinforced complementary relationship between verbal and pictorial modes complement each other in the construction of metaphorical meaning.Through the in-depth analysis of the multimodal metaphors in the film Coco,it is found that the multimodal metaphors exist widely in films.The theme of each film is different,the distribution of multimodal types will be different,and the frequency of each mode used in multimodal metaphors will also be different.The multimodality of metaphors has a relationship of mutual integration and mutual influence.This paper gives great reference to cinephile for deepening their understanding of this film,makes it easier to create empathy between audience and film producers,and lets audience better grasp emotions conveyed in the film through analyzing multimodal metaphors applied in the film Coco.It also provides a good method and theoretical basis for the future analysis of multimodal metaphors in other films.