ANALYSIS OF VISUAL METAPHOR: THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONFORMITY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF OPTIMALITY OF THE CONCEPTUAL NETWORK

Abstract

The article analyzes a visual metaphor with a focus on the correspondence of conceptual processing to the optimality principles proposed by Fauconnier and Turner. The criteria of optimality in the conceptual network are identified at the stages of composition, completion, and elaboration of the blend. It is determined that the visual metaphor, by the type of conceptual network, belongs to a Single-Scope network, with the dominance of one input space, the elements of which are projected onto the structure of the input data from the other input space: the domain of Planet Earth is described through the elements and connections of the domain of a Garbage Bag. The study shows that the analyzed visual metaphor adheres to optimization principles that support cognitive integration. Structural correspondences between the source and target domains are built according to the topological principle, maintaining the relational structure throughout the conceptual network – the conceptual and visual analogy between the globe-Planet Earth and the garbage bag as container for waste. Conceptual integration relies on metonymic compression to simplify cognitive processing and provide the viewer with a more enriched meaning without the need to explain the idea through numerous visual details. The compression involves the metonymic identification of the Planet with the globe, the garbage bag with its contents, and the substitution of the garbage bag (part) for the entire spectrum of ecological pollution (whole). In accordance with the principle of relevance, only elements essential for achieving emergent properties are involved in the blend, including those meanings that are absent in the input spaces but are relevant for the purposes of integration, such as humanity’s loss of control over its waste, the use of the planet as a disposable container, and the global nature of pollution. Thanks to the visual metaphor, the viewer-interpreter can operate with a holistic image of Planet Earth as a garbage container, which satisfies the integration principle. It is evident from the projections in the blend from which input spaces they originate, corresponding to the unpacking principle. The blend retains a complex network of interconnections and relationships present in the input spaces, adhering to the network principle. Future research prospects include the analysis of visual metaphors based on the integration of conceptual and visual blending methods.