The Meaning Construction And Comparative Analysis Of Multimodal Metaphors In Chinese And American Telecommunication Corporations Logos

Metaphor which is universal has become a hot spot of multidisciplinary research from 1970s. American linguists Lakoff & Johnson proposed the Conceptual Metaphor Theory noting that "metaphor is not a figure of speech, but a mode of thought." (Lakoff 1993:210) Based on the theory, Dutch linguist Forceville put forward the concept of Multimodal Metaphor which combined Multimodal Discourse with Cognitive Linguistics in the 1990s.The thesis is composed of six chapters. Chapter one is a brief introduction of the thesis including the significance, purpose and methodologies of the research; chapter two is the literature review, the emphasis of this chapter is the analysis of the research status of multimodal metaphors both abroad and at home; chapter three is the theoretical framework which consists of two parts, one is the Multimodal Metaphor Theory, the other is the Compositional Meaning in Visual Grammar Theory; chapter four interprets the meaning construction of multimodal metaphors in the verbal mode, pictorial mode and color mode of telecommunication corporations logos, from three perspectives: the mapping between the source domain and the target domain in multimodal metaphors; the specific context where corporations logos appear and the interaction of different modes; chapter five analyzes the similarities and differences of multimodal metaphors between Chinese and American Telecommunication Corporations Logos(TCLs) based on the Compositional Meaning Theory including Information Value Principle, Salience Principle and Framing Principle in Visual Grammar; chapter six is the conclusion of the thesis.Based on the meaning construction and comparative analysis on multimodal metaphors in Chinese and American TCLs, the conclusion is summarized as follows:(1) The multimodal metaphors are widely used in logos. Compared with pure verbal metaphors or pictorial metaphors, multimodal metaphors express more direct, precise and profound information to the public. Logos with multimodal metaphors have deep connotation, reflecting corporation culture and connotation and set up corporate image more easily conveying more information. (2) It is not only a matter of technical composition but also a way of thinking to design corporation logos. The selection and combination of the pictures, words and colors should be related to the specific context vividly and directly in which logos exist, especially echoing corporation culture. (3) Due to different culture backgrounds, there are similarities and differences between the multimodal metaphors of Chinese and American TCLs under the Compositional Meaning Theory. In specific, the similarities include four aspects:(1) Multimodal metaphors exist in both Chinese and American TCLs; (2) The carriers of the multimodal metaphors in corporation logos are all such three things as pictures, words and colors; (3) All the multimodal metaphors are influenced by the culture backgrounds; (4) All the multimodal metaphors express the corporation culture. As the differences, the multimodal metaphors in Chinese TCLs are pervasively used with various implications. However, the multimodal metaphors in American TCLs are less, and the implications are simple and clear. In detail, the difference are:(1) In Information Value, the pictorial modes in Chinese TCLs are of high information value while in American TCLs the verbal modes are of high information value; (2) In Salience, the saliences of Chinese TCLs are the pictorial modes which emphasize on the corporations cultures, while the saliences of American TCLs are the verbal modes which point to the corporations themselves; (3) In Framing, the empty space in Chinese TCLs is bigger than that in American TCLs, and Chinese TCLs pay attention to the balance among all the elements, while American TCLs emphasize on the individual characters. The differences partly reflect the cultural differences between China and America.The significance of the research is aiming at extending the application field of Multimodal Metaphor Theory, strengthening its explanatory power through the interpretation; and promoting the understanding of cultural differences between China and America. It will help the audience better interpret culture behind corporation logos and offer references for the comprehensive study of logos.