Multimodal metaphors in Zuojiang Huashan rock art cultural landscape

Abstract Folk art, serving as a condensed manifestation of indigenous folk culture, is potentially embedded with rich multimodal metaphors. This paper contributes to the exploration of interpreting various modalities in folk art, focusing on the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art within the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). Through qualitative analysis, this study delves into the metaphorical connotations present in the visuals, material carriers, and genre of Huashan Rock Art. The results highlight that the relationships among different modes in interpreting the target domain are both complementary and mutually exclusive. Each multimodal metaphorical interpretation appears uniquely attached to a specific mode, which cannot be substituted by another. The coordinated interplay of various modes facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the multi-layered target domain. It demonstrates that folk arts are not limited to merely artistic pursuits but also serve to manifest abstract meanings through the combination of different modalities. This study integrates cognitive linguistic and anthropological perspectives into the interpretation of multimodal metaphors, providing a thorough understanding of the motivations behind the creation of Huashan Rock Art.