Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy in Advertising: (2 Figurative Thought and Language)

Metaphor and metonymy appeal to us because they evoke mental images in unique but still recognisable ways. The potential for figurative thought exists in everyone, and it pervades our everyday social interactions. In particular, advertising offers countless opportunities to explore the way in which people think creatively through metaphor and metonymy. The thorough analysis of a corpus of 210 authentic printed advertisements shows the central role of multimodal metaphor, metonymy, and their patterns of interaction, at the heart of advertising campaigns. This book is the first in-depth research monograph to bring together qualitative and quantitative evidence of metaphor-metonymy combinations in real multimodal discourse. It combines detailed case study analyses with corpus-based analysis and psycholinguistic enquiry to provide the reader with a prismatic approach to the topic of figurative language in multimodal advertising. Besides its theoretical contribution to the field of multimodal figurative language, this monograph has a wide number of practical applications due to its focus on advertising and the communicative impact of creative messages on consumers. This book will pave the way for further qualitative and quantitative research on the ways in which figurative language shapes multimodal discourse, and how it relates to our everyday creative thinking.

Review :
Why should one spend some time reading this book? First, from the opening page and onwards, Pérez-Sobrino takes you by the hand and leads you carefully and pedagogically through a mosaic and maze of complexities, metaphors and metonymies (and metaphor and metonymy spawns of different kinds), and colorful and intriguing advertisements. The language is easy to follow but never simple. Second, the role of metonymy is highlighted throughout, giving a broader picture of figurative language and its rich characteristics, especially from a multimodal perspective [...]. Third, it is a book encompassing linguistics and advertisement, and as such, it provides a much appreciated, and concrete, link between theory and practice. In a highly innovative way, this book combines empirical and qualitative analytical tools and integrates insights from various disciplines to cast light on a multifaceted (and by no means uncontroversial) area of communication theory: the role of complex figurative thinking in multimodal communication. This is certainly a ground-breaking study with important implications for communication studies both at the theoretical and applied levels. Multimodal metaphor and metonymy have rightly become a major focus of research within the multidisciplinary world of figurative language studies. Paula Perez Sobrino’s new book offers several important methodological tools for exploring the creation of multimodal metaphors in advertising. Her analyses of various metaphoric and metonymic complexes, especially as seen in cross-cultural contexts, are compelling and emphasize the significance of different cognitive operations in figurative thinking and language. This volume presents practical guidelines for effectively using metaphor and metonymy in advertising and represents an excellent case study of how cognitive linguistics can illuminate critical features of multimodal creativity in action. This volume constitutes a much-needed and valuable contribution to the literature on figurative communication in advertising. It provides astonishing breath of coverage and contains original insights into the ways in which metaphor and metonymy interact in advertisements to create and convey the desired messages. It reports new findings, all of which are based on extensive studies of authentic data. Consideration is also given to cross-cultural variation, whose importance is increasingly acknowledged in the field. The book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the ways in which figurative communication can and should be employed in advertising. It will be of significant interest to both academics and professionals.