CONFLICTING MUSIC AND DIALOGUE IN POPULAR TV SHOW SCENES THROUGH THE LENS OF MULTILEVEL GROUNDED SEMANTICS

Abstract

This paper aims at discussing the process of multimodal meaning construction called multilevel grounding, according to which meaning emerges hierarchically, through six recursive levels of constraint: formal, cross-modal, affective, conceptual, culturally rich, and individual. Given that this theory has found application in the cognitive science of meaning generation in music, language, and visual art, this study aims to investigate more thoroughly the nature of meaning construction when linguistic and musical data are cointegrated. To that end, we analyse 5 TV show scenes in which the dialogue and the tones heard in the background seem to be sending out contradictory signals on one/some of the six grounding levels this theory presupposes. By doing so, this study attempts to come one step closer to learning in what way language and music, even when they appear to communicate a conflicting message, still work together to create novel meaning. The results of the present study indicate that such linguo-musical mismatches occur on each of the five levels of interpretation, with the sixth level being excluded from the analysis on purpose due to its inherently subjective nature. The same phenomenon has been observed in each of the five analysed scenes, and we believe that its use was both intentional and necessary on the part of the shows’ creators to communicate the intended message in its entirety to the keenest of viewers. Namely, we argue that it is exactly these contrasts on each level of constraint that are responsible for the complex understanding of the scenes in question by introducing entirely new elements into the narrative, such as plot twists, which further leads to often humorous, but always non-composite, interpretations.