Multimodal Metaphor Patterns in Documentaries About Plastic Pollution

Authors

  • Yana Vermenych V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1108.02

Keywords:

conceptual metaphor, documentary, mode (verbal, visual, aural), multimodality, plastic pollution

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of multimodal instantiation of conceptual metaphors in documentaries about plastic pollution: A Plastic Ocean (2016) and Recycling Sham (2019). Theoretically, it departs from conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff & Johnson1980), extending it with the multimodal (Forceville and Urios-Aparisi 2009) and discursive (Musolff 2006) approaches to metaphor. In agreement with the latest theoretical development in this area (Ping Tang, Kelin Quan, Jianbin Zhu 2020), conceptual metaphor is viewed not as a mere correspondence between two conceptual domains, but as a condensed micronarrative that provides a rich understanding of the target domain. The research demonstrates that multimodal metaphors in the documentaries under scrutiny are capable of forming constellations that carry ideological implications, demonstrating temporal variation.

Author Biography

Yana Vermenych, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

Department of English Philology

References

A Plastic Ocean (2016). [Documentary]. https://www.netflix.com/title/80164032 (accessed 27/04/2021).

Forceville, C. J. & E. Urios-Aparisi. (2009). Multimodal Metaphor. New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Lakoff, G. &M. Johnson. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. London: The University of Chicago Press.

Lakoff, G., Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the Flesh. New York: Basic Books.

Moore, Ch. (2020). Plastic pollution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic-pollution. (accessed 27/04/2021)

Musolff, A. (2006). Metaphor scenarios in public discourse. Metaphor and Symbol, 21(1), 23-38.

Parker, L. (2019). The world’s plastic pollution explained. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution (accessed 27/04/2021).

Recycling Sham. (2019). Broken. [Documentary]. https://www.netflix.com/title/81002391 (accessed 27/04/2021).

Tang, P., Quan, K., & Zhu, J. (2020). The Construction of China’s Images through Multimodal Metaphor: A Case Study of China-related BBC Documentaries. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(9), 1044. doi:10.17507/tpls.1009.05.

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Published

2021-08-01

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Section

Articles