This article presents a discourse-based approach to negation by applying text world theory to the analysis of negation in the novel Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (1986 [1961]), The model developed for the analysis of negation is based on Werth’s (1999) notion of negation as a subworld which modifies information which is present in the common ground of the discourse. By so doing, negation contributes to the general discourse function of updating information in the text world. Additionally, negation may form part of contradictory structures which, being self-contained units, do not contribute to the updating discourse function but, rather, seem to block the flow of information. The analysis of the functions of negation is framed within a broader framework of stylistic analysis, where the objective is to discuss how the foregrounded nature of negation as a recursive feature in Catch-22 may have a defamiliarizing effect. The argument put forward in this article is that negation plays a crucial role in the expression of a conflict between what is presented as real and what is presented as not real in the fictional world; this conflict, in its turn, has important consequences for the way the story develops and the way major themes of the novel are treated.

In this paper we carry out a study of multimodal metaphors in a corpus of 52 ICT advertisements published in English-speaking magazines during the period 1999–2002. The general theoretical framework adopted for this purpose is a combination of text world theory and of a multimodal approach to metaphor in discourse, which in turn draws from the principles of conceptual metaphor theory and of discourse theories. The main argument presented in this study is that metaphor is a key instrument in the presentation and negotiation of conventional and creative meanings in advertising discourse as a type of public discourse. More specifically, ICT advertisements during the time period 1999–2002 are particularly interesting for the study of metaphor because of the combination of conventional and innovative underlying concepts which are grounded in the specific socio-cultural context of recent advances in new technologies. In this sense, metaphor contributes to the discourse functions of display, by inviting the receiver to identify with fantasy worlds which are rooted in assumed patterns of socio-cultural behaviour and which are presented in the ad, and to the functions of persuasion and of cognitive change. First, we have identified and classified multimodal metaphors in the corpus according to their cognitive-functional type, then, following Semino (2008) we have identified predominant discourse patterns of metaphorical occurrences. Finally, we have identified the main resources for creativity in the advertisements. We have also studied how the combinations of individual micro-propositional metaphors give rise to extended metaphors which revolve around the megametaphor LIFE IS A CYBERSPACE JOURNEY. This megametaphor invites the receiver to reinterpret the more conventional metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY in terms of the new advances and experiences in society regarding IC technologies.

This article explores the way in which text worlds are created in advertising discourse by analysing linguistic choices and features of context which are crucial in the determination of specific relations between sender(s) and target audience(s), in particular, deixis and frame knowledge. The argument is that a textworld model is particularly adequate for the description of the way in which advertising discourse is processed in an active, dynamic, context-dependent way. In this process, addressees reconstruct the world projected in the discourse according to their own cultural and personal knowledge from the linguistic and visual clues provided in the advertisement.

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The grammar of a language like English provides language users with linguistic (lexicogrammatical, specifically morphosyntactic) resources to express meaning, construct sentences and texts, and to communicate with other speakers. Prosodic, phraseological, and discourse‐pragmatic features are also included in numerous grammars. These grammatical resources are used by speakers to express evaluation.

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This article presents a study of ongoing global and local changing practices by exploring the interaction between multimodal metaphor and narrative in advertising discourse. Thus, we make use of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and Conceptual Integration Theory to compare how social changes and continuities are represented and re-contextualized in advertising discourse, across time, genres and cultures. Changes in time and across genres are addressed through the analysis of printed ads from 2000-2002 and internet ads from [2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006][2007][2008][2009]. Second, we compare the interaction between transformation and magic metaphors and storytelling frames in both genres and periods. Finally, we pay particular attention to the variation in a global brand campaign (CocaCola) 378 RESUMO: Este trabalho apresenta um estudo de práticas aplicadas em nível local e global ao explorar a interação entre metáfora multimodal e narrativa no discurso publicitário. Utilizou-se a Teoria da Metáfora Conceitual (TMC) e a Teoria da Integração Conceitual, a fim de comparar como mudanças sociais e seus prolongamentos são representados e recontextualizados no discurso publicitário por meio do tempo, gêneros e culturas. Alterações no tempo e nos gêneros são abordadas por meio de análises de propagandas impressas de 2000 a 2002 e de anúncios na Internet no período de 2001 a 2009. Em segundo lugar, comparamos a interação entre metáforas de TRANSFORMAÇÃO e MÁGICA e frames de narrativas em ambos os gêneros e períodos. Finalmente, dá-se atenção especial à variação de uma campanha de uma marca global (CocaCola) em três culturas distintas, revelando mudanças competitivas em práticas sociais globais e locais.