The thesis focuses on cognitive linguistic nature of metonymy and examines discourse and text realization of metonymy in British film review as the genre of publicist discourse. The integrated approach to the research is based on theory and methodology of cognitive poetics, linguistics, and discourse studies.
The systematization of the main approaches to the study of metonymy contributed to determination of its manifestation specificity in discourse of film criticism. It was discovered that from the point of view of linguistic stylistics metonymy is defined as a trope, ornamental addition to speech, and is created by the use of a related term to stand for an object or concept. From a cognitive linguistic perspective, metonymy is viewed as a cognitive mechanism whereby one conceptual entity provides mental access to another conceptual entity within some knowledge structure.
The methods of cognitive poetics made it possible to elaborate the classification of conceptual metonymies and metaphtonymies, which are realised in the discourse of British film criticism, in terms of idealised cognitive models (ICM). As the research results indicate, metonymy in the British film review is realised in terms of ICM CAUSATION, ICM MAN, ICM PRODUCTION, ICM ACTIONS, ICM CATEGORY AND ITS MEMBERS, ICM PHYSICAL OBJECTS / PHENOMENA. The method of conceptual blend modelling employed in the framework of thesis research enabled distinguishing three metaphthonymic conceptual blends DOMINANCE, REDUNDANCY, LOW QUALITY and describe the formation mechanism of their specific emergent meanings.
The methods of discourse analysis employed for the research enabled describing metonymy functions in discourse of British film criticism. Film review is characterised by multifunctionality as it performs informative, analytical, evaluative, and persuasive functions. Discourse realisation of metonymy in the British film review is implemented within the functions outlined. As the research results indicate, metonymy is used to provide a general description of the film, to determine plot features of the film, to denote and recreate cinematic code, and to describe the emotional impact of the film. Metonymies are used in strong positions of the text in accordance with the structural peculiarities of film review text organization.
The results of the study reveal that the cognitive and discursive features of metonymy in British film review are determined by such factors as communicative goals of film review as the genre of publicist discourse, the semiotic nature of the object analysed in the text, the film, and the type of addressee.
