Cognitive and Intersemiotic Model of the Visual and Verbal Modes in a Screen Adaptation to Literary Texts

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine screen adaptations from the perspective of cognitive and intersemiotic models of the visual and verbal modes. The purpose of the study is to express the specificity of a screen text which is defined as a combination of three media: speech, image, and music. The scope is to demonstrate the general framework of an intersemiotic translation from a new point of view – like a transliteration. The method of the research refers to semiotic and stylistic analyzes – methods of transformation from one sign system into another from prose works with regard to their cognitive as well as narrative and stylistic features (Zhong, Chen, & Xuan, 2021). Thus, the study analyses such specific relations between the verbal and visual modes in film adaptations of prose literature as a more detailed description of event episodes, events’ temporal structure, presentation of author’s thoughts and characters’ thoughts; their mental activity formulated indirect speech and inner speech that is shown only by the actor’s intonation. The results of the study made possible to show the types of inner speech in their adaptations: author’s thoughts, characters’ thoughts which are presented only by the verbal mode, and visual modes’ inner speeches that combine the modes of character’s voice and image. One can conclude, that taking into account intersemiotic relations between the visual and verbal spaces, it is possible to explain, for instance, how the words of characters are replaced by their facial expressions, gestures, or intonations.