Multimodality & multimodal discourse
Multimodality
A semiotic mode is generally defined as a communication channel that a culture recognizes.
Examples of modes are writing, gesture, posture, gaze, font choice and color, images, video, and also the
interactions between them.
People communicate in a variety of ways, and in order to completely understand someone, the many
modes they use to communicate must be observed and recognized.
Multimodal discourse
Jewitt → there are four basic assumptions of multimodality theory:
1) language is always embedded in meaning-making in combination with non-linguistic resources;
2) in a multimodal ensemble (i.e. an ad), each mode can perform different kinds of communicative
work/functions;
3) people create meaning through the selection and combination of resources from modes available
to them;
4) multimodal meaning-making is shaped by the interests of people as social actors in social contexts.
