The present text aims to discuss a certain kind of internet meme, construed here as an image macro, in the context of Conceptual Blending Theory (Fauconnier and Turner 2002). Image-based memes (image macros) that contain a verbal layer appear to be the most popular form of such memes. Their concise form demonstrates a creative potential: memes are packed with meaning, reflected in various conceptual packets integrated into their verbal and visual semiosis. Blending theory thus seems an appropriate framework for a (...) discussion of the cognitive mechanisms of memes and the relation between the verbal and the visual, as well as for tracing how the analogy between given domains/input spaces contributes to the effectiveness of a message. (shrink)

The text aims at discussing the verbo-visual means of expression employed in three climate change-related campaigns in the context of their effectiveness. The chosen climate change awareness raising campaigns by two non-governmental organisations, EcoEduca and World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF), deal with the results of Arctic permafrost thaw resulting in the loss of sea ice dependent animals’ habitat. A cognitive linguistics oriented analysis refers to the theory of metaphor (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, Forceville 1996, Kövecses 2002, 2014), conceptual (...) blending (Fauconnier and Turner 2003), and construal (Langacker 1987, 2008). The visual layer will also be described with reference to a grammar approach to visual communication (Kress and Van Leeuwen 1996, 2001, Machin 2010). (shrink)