CORRELATIVE FEATURES OF VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMPONENTS IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL MAS MEDIA CARTOONS

Abstract

The article analyzes key studies of the functional and correlative features of contemporary English mass media cartoons. The development of computer technologies has led to multimodal mass media, which use a variety of sign systems, including text, graphics, audio, and video. This significantly enhances the impact of the information, as it is perceived by recipients in a more complex and emotional way. The availability and ease of using various communication systems and social media also assist to spread information. Despite technological advances in the field of modern media, the genre of political cartoon, which originated in the 16th
century, has not only displaced from contemporary online publications, but on the contrary, has generally increased its
presence, actively filling journalistic materials, editorial pages, and even entire websites.
It has been identified that the graphic and verbal elements of multimodal political mass media cartoons interact
logically with each other, often complementing one another. They can perform similar, different, or multiple functions
simultaneously, facilitating the decoding of the entire message.
The paper provides examples of the correlation between verbal and non-verbal components in political cartoons. The
following types of correlations have been identified: parallel (verbal and non-verbal components reinforce each other,
creating a unified whole); complementary (verbal and non-verbal components complement each other, providing a more
comprehensive understanding of the cartoon); zero (verbal and non-verbal components do not interact, and the recipient
interprets the content of the cartoon independently). The analysis of illustrative material in multimodal political cartoons
reveals that the primary function of political cartoons is to criticize of political events and decisions or actions of politicians.