Using drawing as a research tool in metaphor-led discourse analysis
Denroche, C. 2023. Using drawing as a research tool in metaphor-led discourse analysis. WFLL Research Day. 12 Jun 2023
Denroche, C. 2023. Using drawing as a research tool in metaphor-led discourse analysis. WFLL Research Day. 12 Jun 2023
| Title | Using drawing as a research tool in metaphor-led discourse analysis |
|---|---|
| Authors | Denroche, C. |
| Abstract | This talk reports on an experiment in which six Westminster MA translation students were asked to draw pictures to represent the orientational metaphoric elements of a written text. The text, a UK press-release on government measures to help lift children out of poverty, contains numerous conventional expressions deriving from the conceptual metaphor GOOD IS UP/BAD IS DOWN in a ‘metaphor chain’ pattern (Semino, 2008). Post-task interviews were also conducted with the subjects. Striking in the findings are: 1) the ease with which the subjects performed the task, 2) stark similarities across the drawings, and 3) the strong use of FORWARD as well UP in representing the SUCCESS/FAILURE narrative of the text. Using words to identity concepts in conceptual metaphor formulae has always been a weakness of Conceptual Metaphor Theory; this experiment indicates how multimodality can be used to mitigate the circularity of this practice, and how drawing can be used as a research tool in Metaphor-Led Discourse Analysis. |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | WFLL Research Day |