Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Two English Learning Visual Advertisements Essay

It was non until the advent of new media historic period, which by definition involves prevailing digital-mediated communication styles and true usage of multiple semiotical resources feature in the realization of discusss, did the mainstream preference of monomodality unprecedentedly challenged (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2001). Language, as ace of the semiotic resources, is by no means the provided carrier to realize addresss. Diversity should be acknowledged in the current age when optical, audio and other kinds of semiotic resources ar convenient and efficient in delivering the twinge hash outs concept into expressions (Kress, 2003). The bequest study go away base its outline primarily on the multimodal discourse abridgment cloth and optical grammar proposed by Kress and Van Leeuwen (1996, 2001), as an masking of their theoretical framework into practices. Since the multimodal discourse analysis (hereafter MDA) theory has been established only in spite of appearance this recent decade, and it is relatively hard to abide by solid references to support this theory, flaws and limitations be because unavoidable.As MDA is considered the subdivision of Systemic practicable Linguistics (hereafter SFL) which focus on kindly semiotic approach of critical discourse analysis (hereafter CDA), this present study should be considered as an experimental attempt of utilizing MDA in incorporating cordial culture and ideology into discourse analysis1. Firstly, the rationale underneath this present search is based on Kress and Leeuwens four-layered mean rendering domains known as strata (Kress & Leeuwen, 2001), as well as their theoretical affable structure of opthalmic grammar, which is an outspread, or more specifically generalization of verbal grammar (Kress & Leeuwen, 1996). Basically, the theory of strata gives an boilers suit account of heart-making in multiple articulations among discourse, use, ware and distri onlyion, the runner devil of which being associated with heart and soul and the latter devil with expression. The basic heart and soul making f first base is conceptualization (from discourse to delineation), materialization (from design to occupation) and reproduction (from production to distribution).In this look into, only the primary level of meaning articulation will be dealt with, because the data analyzed here are visual advertizing posters on the meshwork without tangible material texture such as paper or stone, which make the analysis less complex and more focused. According to Kress and Van Leeuwen (2001, pp.21), the process of design involves three things simultaneously (1) a verbal expression of a discourse or cabal of discourses, (2) a particular (inter) body process, in which the discourse is embedded, and (3) a particular way of feature semiotic modes. This threefold process has at least cardinal implications (1) the realization of societal communication by encoding the abst ract discourse into a specific design and (2) deliberate choice of communication media finished which the meaning could be more efficaciously delivered, such as the combination of music, image and sequence in films. For the second implication, this present research only involves visual mode of semiotic resource which further cut back the complication of analysis. The start implication is really the central focus in this research paper.If the process of designing is, to some smother, a process of encoding, then victimization the visual grammar to analyze this design is exactly the bring up process, namely decoding. That is to say, this paper is aiming at using visual grammar as a neb to decode the visual image so that to find out the hidden companionable constructed discourses underneath the poster. The similarity mingled with visual grammar and verbal grammar lies in their system underlie the language-use, the ubiquitous fundamental elements of linguistic rules (Chomsky, 1972). This fat grammar lends validity to the set of rules Kress proposed suitable for analyzing visual literacy or visual language. This present analysis will primarily follow Kress framework of visual grammar, divided into three levels representational, reciprocal and integrative. The representational grammar is heavily associated with ideational meaning in SFL, which essentially deals with the internal relations amidst the depicted participants and a place of circumstances in which they occur2.The representational grammar is basically realized by vectors which could exhibit the interrelations surrounded by the participants or between the participant and the viewer. In advertizing 1 (see appendix), the participant is a junior professional employee who desperately gazing towards the contributor/viewer. From the perspective of the representational grammar, this is a non-transactional reaction, characterized by a gazer but without a phenomenon show on the poster. The non-t ransactional process is characterized by a vector extending from the gazers centers towards right away orthogonal the poster or to the contributor/viewer who looks at the poster. Similarly, advertisement 2 (see appendix) too shows a non-transactional reaction. But the gazera caricature check of ancient Chinese historical character Zhuge Liangdoes not extend his eye-line vector directly towards the reader but to someplace else without specified phenomenon. Moreover, the second advertisement has, though implicit, an action vector the flight fan in the cartoon figures hand indicates a mode of waving.Although this action vector is also non-transactional, it is stronger than a reaction vector. If comparing these two posters from a representational level, the first one is all told reaction vector with clear pointing tend to the reader. That is to say, the reader/viewer here is truly the phenomenon of the gazer. The second one has some(prenominal) action vector and reaction ve ctor, though both non-transactional. The action vector adds to the posters agentive quality and centralized its salience on the movement of waving feather fan. The interactional grammar is concerned with social relations between interactants and the represented world of text (readers/viewers). there are four major systems clashings, social distance, attitude and modality (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 1996, pp.43-118). The future(a) part will analyze the two posters within each system. In the first advertisement, the interactive participant, or that youngish staminate white-collar imposes a necessity connection towards the viewer, which is a direct eye-line vector towards outside the poster. Contrastively, the gazer on the second poster presented an volunteer contact, which is characterized by no direct eye contact (though imaginary) with the viewer.The distinction between demand and offer significantly distinguished these two posters. The mood represented in the first one is more e ngaged, direct and intensive. The young male looks directly to the reader as if interrogating the readers if they had been through the same desperation and skepticism on the fact whether Chinese could of all time learn English well. He seeks the realisation and resonances from the reader towards his own tactile sensationings. His demanding eye-line attracts the readers counter-directional reaction vector, and the reader will feel passively being gazed and therefore a tense feeling and obliged indwelling self-inspection whether I am just wish well him who cannot learn English well. However, the mood in the second poster is more disentangled, upstage and carefree.The cartoon character looks at somewhere else as if intentionally avoiding eye contact with the reader. This manner of offer invites the reader to dramatis personae reaction vector towards him. By demonstrate a confident manner of already discovered the mysticals of learning English, this advertisement uses the abse nce of contact as a strategy to arouse viewers interest in discovering what exactly is the secret that this ancient sage has. Similarly, under the social distance system of analysis, the first poster is very(prenominal) intimate/personal, characterized by a close shot, yet the second one is relatively impersonal under a medium shot. From the perspective of attitude system, the first poster is presented from a front, eye-level angle which represents ponderous involvement and equal status with the viewers.The fashion designer of the poster intends to create a young man who could be anyone of those young white-collar who has problems learning English. The second one is also presented from a front, eye-level angle. Yet it is noticeable that payable to the disproportion of its body and the small proportion between his eyes and the entire face, it is very seeming to get an illusion that it is a low angle, which signifies the represented participants power. The compositional grammar p rimarily deals with the way in which discipline or value is transferred from the represented participants towards the viewers. Since the two posters both adopted a touch circular position which presented their central characters in the very core of the composition, there is very little to compare in the aspect.