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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts MULTIMODAL METAPHOR IN AMERICAN, RUSSIAN, AND UKRAINIAN PROMOTIONAL DISCOURSES A Dissertation in Applied Linguistics by Larysa Bobrova 2013 Larysa Bobrova Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2013 The dissertation of Larysa Bobrova was reviewed and approved* by the following: James P. Lantolf Greer Professor in Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Athelstan Suresh Canagarajah Edwin Erle Sparks Professor in Applied Linguistics Michael M. Naydan Woskob Family Professor in Ukrainian Studies Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures Robert W. Schrauf Professor of Applied Linguistics Head of the Department of Department *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT This dissertation reports on the intra-linguistic/cultural and a cross- linguistic/cultural study of multimodal metaphor in American, Russian, and Ukrainian promotional discourses actualized in television commercials for vodka and beer. Although a number of studies have explored multimodal metaphor, such research typically focuses on metaphor as a conceptual phenomenon decontextualized from the nexus of socio-cultural practices constructed by the promotional context. Being mostly case studies of relatively small number of commercials, i.e., 2 to 10 commercials at most, this research has been typically limited to the detection of the source and target domains of a particular conceptual metaphor and the analysis of modalities through which they are elaborated in thematically diverse commercials. In the present study, an alternative approach – a systematic bottom-up comparative analysis of multimodal metaphors viewed as both cognitive phenomena and a meditational means – is proposed in order to identify metaphoric complexes, their structural, discoursal, and socio-cultural aspects as well as the differences and similarities in the respective aspects across four promotional discourses: American beer and vodka commercials, Ukrainian vodka, and Russian beer commercials. The analysis relies on a transparent and systematic procedure for metaphor identification designed specifically for this study, although the procedure is expected to be functional for research in other multimodal domains as well. By approaching multimodal metaphor as both a conceptual and socio-cultural meditational means, this study uncovers the interaction between the conceptual structure of metaphor and social practices involved in the consumption of alcoholic products in the respective cultures. Specifically, the analysis of the metaphors contextualized in socio-cultural practices has iv revealed socio-cultural values indicative of the respective cultures as they are manifested in the analyzed commercials. In addition, through the detailed exploration of metaphoric entailments, the analysis has provided important insights into the conceptual construal of these values and has pinpointed distinctions and similarities in their construal. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ......................................................................................................... ix List of Tables........................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. xii Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Metaphor ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aim and Scope ...................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Research Questions and Organization of the Dissertation ....................................... 6 1.4 Material and Methods ............................................................................................ 7 1.5 Analytical Procedure ............................................................................................. 9 1.6 Typographic Conventions ...................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 The Social and Cultural Roles of Alcoholic Beverages in American Culture ........ 13 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 13 2.2 A Drinking Occasion Specifier .............................................................................. 16 2.3 Social Status, Affiliation, and Gender Differentiator .............................................. 18 2.4 Social Roles of Drinking Places ............................................................................. 24 2.5 The Symbolic Meaning of Alcohol in American Social Celebratory Rituals ........... 33 2.5.1 Habitual Cycle Transformations .................................................................. 34 2.5.2 Life Cycle Transformations ......................................................................... 37 2.5.3 Historical Cycles within a Culture ............................................................... 40 2.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 42 Chapter 3 The Social and Cultural Roles of Alcoholic Beverages in Russian and Ukrainian Cultures ...................................................................................................... 44 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Indicator of Ethnic Group and Generation Affiliation ............................................. 46 3.3 Social Status and Gender Differentiator ................................................................. 50 3.4 A Drinking Occasion Specifier .............................................................................. 53 3.5 Money Substitute ................................................................................................... 56 3.6 Medication Substitute ............................................................................................ 58 3.7 Social Roles of Drinking Places ............................................................................. 60 3.8 The Symbolic Meaning of Alcohol in Russian and Ukrainian Social Celebratory Rituals ................................................................................................................. 68 3.8.1 Habitual Cycle Transformations .................................................................. 71 3.8.2 Life Cycle Transformations ......................................................................... 73 3.8.3 Historical Cycles within a Culture ............................................................... 78 3.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 80 Chapter 4 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................... 82 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 82 vi 4.2 Four Cognitive Approaches to Metaphor ................................................................ 83 4.2.1 Attributive Categorization Theory ............................................................... 84 4.2.2 Blending Theory ......................................................................................... 85 4.2.3 The Career of Metaphor Approach .............................................................. 87 4.2.4 Conceptual Metaphor Theory ...................................................................... 88 4.3 Multimodal Metaphor Theory ................................................................................ 95 4.4 Mediated Discourse Theory ................................................................................... 100 4.4.1 Mediated Action .......................................................................................... 101 4.4.2 Mediational Means ...................................................................................... 102 4.4.3 Site of Engagement ..................................................................................... 105 4.4.4 Social Practice ............................................................................................. 107 4.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 107 Chapter 5 Multimodal Metaphor in Promotional Discourse ................................................. 109 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 109 5.2 A Review of the Studies of Multimodal Metaphor in TV Commercials .................. 111 5.2.1 The Conceptual Structure and the Nuances of Multimodal Manifestation of Metaphor.................................................................................................. 111 5.2.2 The Affordances of Modalities for Multimodal Manifestations of Metaphor ...................................................................................................... 117 5.2.3 The Interaction of Multimodal Metaphor and Metonymy ............................. 121 5.2.4 The Cross-cultural Aspect of the