Metonymy and visual representation: towards a social semiotic framework of visual metonymy

Abstract

This study proposes that metonymy is fundamental to visual meaning making and develops a social semiotic framework to elucidate how conceptual metonymies are realized in both static and moving images. While we all accept that visual images are iconic, this study demonstrates systematically that they are also indexical (i.e. metonymic), in terms of their representation of both objects/events and abstract concepts. Based on the social semiotic visual grammar of Kress and Van Leeuwen’s Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design (2006), systems of metonymy in actional, reactional, classificational and analytical processes are developed to map out the types of metonymies in visual representation. The metonymy systems bring a wide array of resources under a coherent framework for analysts to scrutinize the choices of representation in visual media such as comics, film and TV commercial. This study develops current theories of multimodal metaphor and metonymy, on the one hand, and provides new insights into the process of visual meaning making, on the other.

تحلیل متعدد المستویات للموقف الذی تتخذه الأخبار بالمملکة المتحدة بخصوص رحیم ستیرلنج

“…This paper investigates UK Press running stories on Raheem Sterling in order to show the manner verbal tools cohere with visual designs in order to portray the target attitude of the newspaper. Analysis is based on the theory of Appraisal (Attitudinal Resources) as proposed by Martin and White (2005) and visual metonymy (Feng, 2016). This paper zooms in on an online thread of headlines of running stories about Sterling in an attempt to examine their linguistic features (verbal/semiotic) and evaluate Sterling's accusation that negative media stories fuel racist behaviors in football.…”

“…This research is an application of the theory of Appraisal (attitudinal resources) as proposed by Martin (2000) and Martin and White (2005) and visual metonymy as presented by Feng (2016) to analyze a thread of UK newspaper headlines about Sterling, in an attempt to question Sterling's accusation against press coverage.…”

“…This paper aims to examine news presentation of Raheem Sterling via a framework of attitudinal resources within the Appraisal Theory model proposed by Martin (2000), Martin & White (2005) and visual metonymy (Feng, 2016), in order to investigate Sterling's claim that the manner in which the press mirrors events regarding his life helps to "fuel racism".…”

“…The previous two traits correspond to Martin and White (2005)'s affect and judgement within the theory of Appraisal. (Feng, 2016). An emotion, being abstract, can be represented metonymically by depicting its eliciting condition or cause (cause standing for emotion) or its reaction (reaction standing for emotion).…”

How language and image construct synaesthetic metaphors in print advertising

“…Bolognesi et al, in press; El Refaie, 2003; Forceville, 1996, 2009, 2012; Phillips and McQuarrie, 2004; Šorm and Steen, 2013). Despite the increasingly large body of literature on visual metaphors, research on specific types of metaphors and other figures of speech within the visual mode is still limited (with the exception of metonymy, for which several recent studies are available, see for example Feng, 2017; Pérez-Sobrino, 2016, 2017).…”