Conceptual metaphors in lyrics, vocal realization and music – reinforcement or modification of emotional potential

• Published in: Crossroads (Białystok, Poland) no. 4 (31); pp. 44 - 65
• Main Author: Zyga, Magdalena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wydział Filologiczny Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku 2020; Faculty of Philology at the University of Bialystok; Faculty of Philology, University of Bialystok
• Subjects: Cognitive linguistics; cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphors, emotions, melody and lyrics, popular music; Music; Stylistics; cognitive linguistics; conceptual metaphors; emotions; melody and lyrics; popular music
• ISSN: 2300-6250; 2300-6250
• DOI: 10.15290/CR.2020.31.4.03

The paper seeks to examine the ways in which the emotional potential (germ. Emotions potential) rooted in the textual part of selected songs can potentially be reinforced or modified by the music and vocal realization. Music and intonation provide sonic counterparts of the emotional states expressed by language. I shall consider cases where the sonic counterpart is either an analog or stands in contrast to the textual component and the affective value commonly associated with the invoked conceptual metaphor/metonymy. The research material consists of three versions of the song Ride by 21 Pilots, the song Here Comes the Night Time by Arcade Fire and Die Flut [the flood] by Joachim Witt and Peter Heppner. The analysis results show that salient presence of up/down image schema in verbal and musical orientational metaphors is observable, albeit not always accompanied with the most typical valence pattern.