Stylistic use of allusion: A study of verbal and multimodal discourse
My aim is to explore creative instantiations of allusion to figurative thought in verbal and multimodal discourse. How does allusion interact with other stylistic patterns in conveying an implicit reference to a figurative thought in creative use?
Theoretical conclusions are drawn, applying the tenets of cognitive linguistics about the significance of figurative thought and language (Gibbs 1994, Lakoff and Turner 1989). I have applied the method of identification of figurative thought in discourse (Naciscione 2010) and the method of critical metaphor analysis (Charteris-Black 2014) in semantic and stylistic study of my empirical material, which I have chosen from my own collection of stylistic use of phraseological units.
Allusion is a cognitive challenge not only when it is an implied reference to historical, mythological, cultural, social or political phenomena and events but especially when it serves to convey a figurative thought, reflecting a figurative mode of thinking which is “a fundamental characteristic of the human mind” (Gibbs, 1994).
Perception, recognition, comprehension and identification of figurative thought are cognitive faculties of the mind. The application of these skills are mental processes, which enable people not only to appreciate creative stylistic use but also to create novel figurative instantiations.
Phraseological allusion is an implicit mental reference to the figurative thought of a phraseological unit, which is represented in discourse by one or more explicit image-bearing constituents, hinting at its image. Instantiation of the pattern of allusion encompasses other stylistic patterns, which develp and sustain the figurative thought: metaphor, extended metaphor, metonymy, and pun.
Keywords: cognitive linguistics, allusion, phraseological unit, cognitive faculties, multimodal discourse
