ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 provides a social semiotic model of multimodal metaphor analysis and applies it to the analysis of the publicity posters of the Chinese Dream campaign. The model enables us to analyze metaphors systematically in terms of semantic choice, multimodal realization, and context. In particular, it provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing context by stratifying it into context of situation and context of culture. The analysis of the Chinese Dream posters shows that the metaphors serve to conceptualize essential aspects of pursuing the Chinese Dream to mobilize Chinese people and to cultivate patriotism. The source domains are mostly familiar items with rich cultural elements, such as journeys, animals, and plants. All the metaphors are realized in both language and images, creating multimodal metaphors, and the images mainly illustrate the source domains. At the level of context of situation, the posters reflect new features of the discursive practice which include the medium and genre of PSA posters (Mode), the activities of entertaining and promoting (Field), and the close and equal author-audience relation (Tenor). These patterns are further explained in relation to the socio-political context of the changing mode of political communication in contemporary China.
