A Study On Multimodal Metaphors And Metonymies In Public Health Emergency News Cartoons

In 2020,the COVID-19 epidemic raged all over the world and developed into a serious global public health emergency(PHE).News media around the world continued to report the epidemic in various forms.The form of public health emergency news cartoons(PHENCs)accounted for a large proportion,attracting the attention of academic circles.Through literature retrieval and analysis,it is found that most studies on PHENCs focus on case studies to analyze the metaphorical phenomenon in cartoons,while there are few multimodal studies based on quantitative methods,and insufficient attention is paid to metonymy phenomenon in cartoons.Based on the theory of multimodal metaphor and metonymy,288 PHENCs were selected from the Chinese news cartoon network(http: //www.caglecartoons.com/).Quantitative research and qualitative research are used to explore metaphors and metonymies in PHENCs.This study aims to solve the following three problems:1.What types of multimodal metaphors and metonymies are found in PHENCs?2.What are the modal characteristics of these metaphors and metonymies in pictorial signs and written signs?3.What meanings are constructed by these metaphors and metonymies?Through the analysis and discussion of the selected cartoons,the study draws the following conclusions:(1)Seven types of multimodal metaphors are identified in terms of the source domains,containing object metaphor,animal metaphor,war metaphor,myth metaphor,character metaphor,movement metaphor and plant metaphor.Among which object metaphor accounts for 36.28%,animal metaphor occupies 18.30%,war metaphor takes up 16.72% and myth metaphor sharing 16.40% are the most commonly used types.three multimodal metonymy types are recognized on the basis of the relationship between the source and target: PART FOR WHOLE,CHARACTERISTICS FOR ENTITY and PLACE FOR EVENT included.Among which 45.16% are PART FOR WHOLE and 43.01%belong to CHARACTERISTICS FOR ENTITY.(2)Pictorial signs convey the most connotations supplemented with written signs in these metaphors and metonymies.Pictorial elements like color,shape,area size and location distribution are concerned.And it is worth noting that the same color and shape in pictorial signs can carry different connotations.(3)The following connotations are constructed:①The epidemic is pernicious but controllable.②The epidemic will indeed be defeated,but the course is hard,so we can never let down guard.③The anti-epidemic measures established by the Chinese government are effective,and the Chinese government and people are mighty and strong.(4)The Chinese medical staff deserve credit and respect.By exploring the multimodal metaphor and metonymy phenomena in PHENCs,the researches on multimodal metaphor and metonymy can be further enriched.On the other hand,based on the theory of multimodal metaphor and metonymy,this thesis makes an in-depth analysis of the meaning construction of multimodal metaphor and metonymy in typical cartoons,which helps people better understand the meaning constructed in PHENCs,and also contributes to cultivating the multiliteracy in the information age.