A semantic and pragmatic approach to verb particle constructions used in cartoons and puns

• Main Author: lvalue lvalue (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Universitat Jaume I. Department of English Studies, 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.6035/LanguageV.2012.4.6; 1989-7103
• Keywords: cartoons; puns; phrasal verbs; Gricean maxims; (un)marked; Romanic languages; PC1-5498; Education; L
• Source: Language Value (2019)

Author/s Abdeljalil Naoui Khir Virginia Military Institute, USA ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to discuss a special type of verb particle construction in English; namely, phrasal verbs used in cartoons and puns. Granted that the meaning of phrasal verbs may range from literal to idiomatic, their use in cartoons is artistically and linguistically exploited through a combination of verbal and non-verbal cues to convey humor, satire and fun. Our assumption is that this combination rests on the premise that a double reading of phrasal verbs in certain cartoons and puns is possible. To illustrate this, a sample of cartoons using phrasal verbs and puns (taken from www.ecenglish.com, English Teacher Online LLC) will be analyzed showing how the correspondence between the cartoon as a visual mode and the phrasal verb as a linguistic form can yield both literal interpretations and idiomatic ones. Phrasal verbs are also shown to violate Gricean maxims and to depend largely, in their interpretation, on extra linguistic factors.