Multimodal Discourse Analysis Research Articles

Photography and Destination Image: An Analysis of China Eastern Airline Facebook Photographs

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study is to explore the projected destination image represented by photographs emerging in social media from a potential DMO member. The official page of China Eastern Airlines on Facebook (@CEAir) was selected as a case study, in which a total of 40 photographs were collected and classified into five groups according to their themes. To identify the destination image of China, five groups of photographs were analyzed by using visual analysis, semiotic analysis, and multimodal discourse analysis. The main findings show that Chinese food, architecture, natural landscape, people, and ethnic minorities are common signs engaging in constructing the destination image of China. These photographs mainly adopted wide shots and brilliant color tones, which convey to overseas tourists that China is a great power with a long history, full of charm, and a contributor to global development. More importantly, not only landscape photography but also still life photography, candid photography, and travel photography are all considered to be modes of representation of the destination image. Different genres of photography employ Chinese culture as a special gaze to shape the destination image.

Whose questions? Ventriloquation in entrepreneurial podcasts

While interaction is a signature feature of podcasts, new research on selected entrepreneurial podcasts has shown how they are de-dramatized as part of the leadership branding project, indexing the genre’s transition from a homespun to a corporate medium and echoing the notion of media re-colonization. This article reports on a case study of the use of questions in a single entrepreneur’s six-episode podcast series. We set out to identify and analyse what we see as ‘re-dramatization’ strategies, creating a sense of interaction and heteroglossia in what is essentially a monologue. Next, triangulating with insights from multimodal discourse analysis and linguistic ethnography, our analysis points to ventriloquation. Through questions that are presented as reported (i.e. referring back to questions that were raised on some earlier occasion), the entrepreneur makes himself or others say something, staging a specific past situation (real or imagined) where questions were asked and thus creating an enhanced sense of author-ity. As for questions that are presented as asked at the moment of speaking (we call them direct questions), the results of our inquiry indicate that the entrepreneur is ventriloquating either what he believes the listener might want to ask him or what he himself was previously asked by the podcast producer. We suggest that the entrepreneur is accommodating more actively to his listenership than it seems at first sight and conclude by reflecting on how this sheds new light on the entrepreneurial podcast as a tool of leadership communication as part of the wider digital mediascape, on the interactive use of questions in general and on the potential of our multi-method approach.

Designing A Distance Learning System for English Reading by Applying Multimodal Discourse Analysis Theory

Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) theory is a comprehensive framework that examines communication beyond just language, considering various modes of expression such as images, sounds, gestures, and typography. This theory recognizes that communication is inherently multimodal, and meaning is conveyed through the interplay of different modes. MDA analyzes how these modes interact within texts and contexts to create meaning, emphasizing the importance of visual, auditory, and spatial elements alongside linguistic features. By examining multimodal texts, MDA provides insights into how meaning is constructed, negotiated, and understood in diverse communicative contexts, from advertising campaigns to political speeches. This paper proposes the design of a distance learning system for English reading by applying Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) theory, augmented with Distance Vector Space Coordinate Classification (DVS-CC). The system aims to provide an immersive and interactive learning experience by integrating various modes of communication, including text, images, audio, and video. Through simulated experiments and empirical validations, the effectiveness of the DVS-CC-enhanced distance learning system is evaluated. Results demonstrate significant improvements in student engagement, comprehension, and learning outcomes compared to traditional distance learning approaches. For example, students using the DVS-CC-enhanced system achieved an average score increase of 25% in reading proficiency assessments. Additionally, the system's adaptive learning features enabled personalized instruction tailored to each student's learning style and pace. These findings underscore the potential of applying MDA theory with DVS-CC in designing effective distance learning systems for English reading, fostering enhanced learning experiences in remote educational settings.

The materiality key: how work on empirical data can improve analytical models and theoretical frameworks for multimodal discourse analysis

This article is a critical reflection on the way the notion of materiality informed the project and the development of The Kinesemiotic Body project carried out by a UK and German research teams and of the model of analysis it adopted, the Functional Grammar of Dance. It starts with an excursus of some of the most interesting developments in other discipline that turned to the investigation of materiality as an epistemological perspective, and it shows how the same type of focus has impacted on multimodal discourse analysis focusing on movement-based communication. The overarching theme that characterises this multidisciplinary attention to materiality is its anchoring function to the temporal and spatial coordinates in which social phenomena are contextualised, which is taken as the fundamental condition for shaping our perception and understanding of the world in all areas of experience and knowledge. A more specific example of how the notion of materiality impacted on the development of movement-based discourse analysis will be provided by an example of analysis of rich movement data captured live from professional dancers from the English National Ballet.

“Together, We Achieve the China Dream”: Constructing Affective Chinese Nationalities in the Film My People, My Country

National blockbusters, such as My People, My Country (MPMC; 我和我的祖国, wo he wode zuguo), have gained a prominent position in contemporary Chinese nationalist propaganda. Based on a multi-modal discourse analysis approach, this paper will examine how narratives of “my country” and “my people” are affectively constructed through multi-modal resources in the MPMC to shape a unified Chinese national identity while consolidating the Chinese Communist Party's ruling legitimacy in the face of increasingly diverse challenges. Findings show three discursive strategies, involving interrelated affects: (1) selective and pride-based mythmaking of the glorious past; (2) conveying happiness through appropriation of (sub)popular culture; and (3) mobilising nostalgia by invoking cultural memories. To grasp possible effects of these affective strategies, we circulated questionnaires to twenty-five Chinese diasporas. Their answers suggest that, although these strategies evoke nationalist emotions, questions are also raised concerning conflicting interests between the collective and the individual, as well as the potential risks of affective nationalism.

The Construction and Dissemination of Beijing’s City Image in Douyin Short Videos from a Multimodal Perspective

Short videos have become an important medium to spread and promote the city image. Based on the visual narrative theoretical framework of multimodal discourse analysis, this paper selects three representative popular short videos related to Tiktok on the platform and analyzes the visual narrative meaning of short videos of the city image of Beijing from three levels: representation meaning, interaction meaning and composition meaning. The article focuses on various language forms in short videos, including text, images, music, etc., analyzing how these modalities are intertwined. The study found that these videos present the urban image of Beijing, which combines traditional and modern elements, a dream chasing city, and a sense of national pride and belonging. This provides reference for other cities to enhance their urban image in the dissemination of short videos.

Theory-building in the social, material and postdigital worlds of play: Participatory research and multimodal discourse analysis

This article is about using participatory research and multimodal discourse analysis to scaffold theory-building, with a focus on how children draw on their lifeworlds, folkloric imagination, and media experiences to generate meanings in, and through, their play. It draws on a tradition of research which employs a multimodal semiotic lens to analyse interaction and communication between social actors in combination with sociocultural theory to generate hypotheses about a phenomenon. The focus is on how multimodal discourse analysis operates when partnered in research designs with other interpretive constructs, drawn from sociocultural, socio-material and postdigital frames. Examples are featured from two research projects centred on children’s play, and the central argument here is that play, with its reference points in media, popular culture and traditional folkloric forms is a particular location for theory-building on the postdigital nature of contemporary lived experience.

Tribalism: A Thorny Concern in Nigerian Politics–A Discursive Review and Appraisal

This paper conducts a review and appraisal of discourse surrounding tribalism, which is deeply entrenched in Nigerian politics at different levels of government as the polity of the country has often experienced significant tension along tribal/ethnic lines. Using digital media data, with specific focus on discourses produced during the 2023 general elections in the country, this study reviews and analyses the discourse of tribalism in Nigerian political communication. In an election heavily contested by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), with candidates representing three major ethnic groups in Nigeria involving Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo respectively, the entrenched nature of the tribalism mindset in the country was fully exposed. Although tribalism in Nigerian politics has been in existence for a long time, it was only recently witnessed on a large scale on social media given that it is the first time that three popular presidential candidates have emerged from the country’s three most popular ethnic groups. Through a multimodal discourse analysis, the study reveals instances of tribalist discourse in the country vis-à-vis the social context and implications for the democracy, national cohesion, and the development of the country.

Victims or villains? How editorial cartoons depict the 2023 Israel – Palestine war

Abstract Study purpose The study analyzed online editorial cartoons depicting the Israel-Palestine conflict through visual, symbolic, metaphorical, and textual analysis. The study reveals a prevailing anti-war sentiment across editorial cartoons, with a notable inclination towards supporting Palestine. This support was prominent in cartoons originating from the Global South, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there was a scarcity of such cartoons within mainstream Western media. Methodology The study employs an in-depth approach, analyzing cartoons from both Western and non-Western media. It utilizes Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) and Multimodal Semiotics (MS) theories, focusing on symbolism and text to decode nuanced narratives within the cartoons. Main findings The cartoons depict complex narratives, using symbolism to explain how politicians and the main media are framing specific entities while undermining victimology. They reveal subjective perspectives that influence audience perceptions. They echo existing scholarly views on the influential power of editorial cartoons in communicating complex political concepts. Social implications The cartoons shape public understanding of the conflict, potentially influencing biases and perspectives. They present Hamas as both an aggressor and a victim, portraying multifaceted perceptions of the group. Practical implications The findings are instrumental in depicting political identities, including major organizations like the UN. The boldness in depicting such entities provides a practical avenue for understanding the role of such organizations. Originality/value The study adds to the existing literature by applying multimodal analysis to editorial cartoons, unveiling hidden narratives and perceptions. It suggests the need for a deeper analysis of the conflict’s historical, geopolitical, and power structures. This research offers a multifaceted understanding of how editorial cartoons shape perceptions and interpretations of the Israel-Palestine conflict, emphasizing their complex and influential nature within media discourse.

“Tears have never won anyone freedom:” a multimodal discourse analysis of Ukraine’s use of memes in a propaganda war of global scale

Abstract Purpose This paper analyzes memes posted by @Ukraine to X, formerly known as Twitter, from the account’s inception in 2016 through September 2023 to examine the function and utility of memes as tools of propaganda in global conflict. Methods A multimodal discourse analysis of more than 100 memes was conducted by a small research group to separate the memes into thematic categories in an exploratory fashion. Then, a small subset of the research group conducted a recursive analysis on the images and text in a handful of memes selected purposively to determine what types of ideological appeals were present. Results Our findings align with observations made in previous studies that internet memes might be used to bolster national unity and might be employed to bolster pleas for sympathy from wealthy, more powerful allies, in this case in the West. The essential propaganda ideals were those of democracy, friendship, and independence on the side of Ukraine while Russia is framed as a dictatorship. Practical Implications A small number of the memes referenced in our paper garnered global media attention. Though we do not make any claims about broad media effects relating to the memes studied here, garnering the attention of major U.S. publication seems clearly to have been a goal of some of these memes. For those who wish to find a key to the playbook for a nation’s propaganda strategy, its social media memes are a great place to begin. Social Implications It is apparent in this study that governments might use memes to cover all their propaganda bases, so to speak. Ukraine’s memes appear to serve mainly to reinforce messages of national unity and messages of connection with the West. Originality Though others have studied @Ukraine’s tweets, this is believed to be the first to focus exclusively on memes posted to the feed. This study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how wildly varied memes can communicate core concepts of a propaganda strategy, perhaps with the hope that a few will “hit” with desired media outlets, if only to bolster propaganda efforts.

The EU and environmental education: a multimodal ecological discourse analysis

Abstract In the last few years, the European Union (EU) has been creating a wide range of educational resources for teachers and students to encourage discussion in class on sensitive issues such as environmental protection and sustainability. Following the tradition of multimodal discourse analysis and research on ecolinguistics, this study aims to analyse the webpage “Environment, climate and energy”, from the EU website Learning Corner, focussing on a sample of informative and didactic resources aimed at explaining the institution’s environmental policies to younger generations. In particular, the analysis will try to detect the main verbal and visual discursive strategies employed by the EU in order to communicate the institutional discourse on environmental protection to the young and develop eco-friendly consciousness. Furthermore, the research will also take into account the intersemiotic relation of the collected data and see whether the EU employs any positive discursive features as alternatives to the mainstream environment discourses to promote sustainability and sensitize young citizens to it.

Rewriting history: directorate of communications and neo-Ottoman ideological recasting of Turkey’s history

ABSTRACT This study presents a multimodal discourse analysis of three historical videos produced by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications. The Directorate, chiefly operating as a partisan bureaucratic-cum-political apparatus of the ruling political party in Turkey, the Justice and Development Party, produces videos to recast the history of Turkey in line with the ruling party’s neo-Ottomanist, nationalist, militarist, and Islamist agenda. These three videos reviewed refer to the discursive building blocks of the AKP’s so-called Islamic populist worldview in recent years: the glorious Ottoman past, accumulation and glorification of military power, and a holy cause. The historical repository used in the videos reasserts the loneliness of Turkey, the utmost belief in and dedication to the nation’s leader, Turkey’s emergence as a regional power, and the primacy of the nation’s will. The article discusses the authoritarian and exclusionary implications of the misuse of history by official agencies.

The Mediation of Genre, Identity, and Difference in Contemporary (Popular) Music Streaming

Abstract Music streaming service Spotify has recently declared that genre is becoming less important in popular music culture, linking this idea to post-identity claims. In contrast, the central argument of this article is that genre continues to matter in music streaming, where algorithmic recommendation systems remediate genre and its association with constructions of identity and difference. We examine Spotify's mediation of genre through a multimodal discourse analysis of genre metadata as presented on the website Every Noise at Once, playlist curation, and media discourse. Analysing the genres bubblegrunge and rap français (French rap), we show that the algorithmic and human processes of Spotify and its users rearticulate genre, shaping, in turn, patterns of recommendation, curation, and consumption. These processes remediate earlier constructions of identity, temporality, and place in music culture. Simultaneously, they intensify differentiation and individuation, tying in with postulations of multiplicity and diversity in neoliberalism that conceal power imbalances.

How Audience Reaction to The 5th Estate Vlogs Aid in The Construction of Mutahi Ngunyi’s Identity as an Authoritative Political Analyst

This study investigated one of Kenya’s foremost political commentary vlogs – The 5th Estate as a rich site on how multimodal resources are marshaled by Mutahi Ngunyi, the vlog’s creator and political analyst, to construct the identity of an authoritative political analyst. Whereas there are several studies on identity construction on social media platforms, little research on identity construction focusing specifically on vlogging exist. More so, there is scanty investigation of identity construction strategies used by vloggers who specialise in political commentary. Using the Systemic Functional – Multimodal Discourse Analysis (SF-MDA) approach, the research investigated how audience reaction aid in the construction of individual’s identity. The research adopted a qualitative perspective and more specifically a descriptive-interpretive design. Data which included vlogs posted on The 5th Estate since its establishment on 19th February, 2019 to date constituted the population of study from which four most popular vlogs were sampled. Data for research was collected, transcribed and analysed using content analysis technique. Knowledge generated by this study is expected to fill the existing gaps in political communications and new media research concerning identity construction in social media. The study could also be useful to politicians, political influencers and government agents who may want to adopt vlogging to communicate to their audience efficiently and effectively. The study concluded that audience reaction plays an important role in shaping Identity of an individual by affirmation of the message, use of descriptive words that describe the author, or titles ascribed to the author.

Semiotic modes accentuating learners’ metafunctions: The systemic functional approach to multimodal discourse analysis

Drawing on the systemic functional approach to multimodal discourse analysis, this study investigates how struggling multilingual writers use semiotic modes to achieve different metafunctions in their multimodal composition. This study used the systemic functional approach to multimodal discourse analysis as a potential linguistic method to analyse how students’ semiotic choices work together in their multimodal composition to reflect three metafunctions of language (i.e. ideational, interpersonal and textual). The study analysed a hundred samples of multimodal composition and interviewed ten teachers to explore how students’ use of different semiotic modes reflected different metafunctions in multimodal composition. The study concludes that students conveyed different metafunctions in their multimodal composition via blending different semiotic modes that, in turn, reframe the conception about semiotic modes from meaningless isolated modes to those that create opportunities for constructing meaning. Theoretical and pedagogical implications for linguistics, applied linguistics, multilingualism and the systemic functional approach to multimodal discourse analysis research are discussed.

Discriminatory Practices Against Non-Native English Speaker Teachers in Colombia’s Language Centers: A Multimodal Study

This multimodal/multimedia discourse analysis explored institutional practices regarding native and non-native English speaker teachers in five language centers in Medellín, Colombia, as reflected in interviews with coordinators and teachers, language centers’ websites, social media, and recruitment materials. Data were analyzed using content and multimodal discourse analysis. Findings unveiled that, in general, these language centers favor native English speaker teachers and discriminate against non-native English speaker teachers in multiple ways, as the former are privileged in job searches, are asked fewer hiring requirements, have more room for negotiation, earn higher salaries, and enjoy more perks.

THE PRE-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2024: UNCOVERING THE CONSISTENCY OF RELIGIOUS POLITICIZATION

Social media is an effective communication tool for facilitating political campaign activities. However, social media promotes the enormous politicization of religion, such as the controversy surrounding the mixing of politics and religion in Indonesia's 2017 and 2019 general elections. This study aims at responding to the causes of social media supporting the consistency of the politicization of religion in the Pre-Presidential General Election 2024 by employing the politicization of religion in the past as a reflection of the current phenomenon. The research was conducted using a qualitative strategy and multimodal discourse analysis as an instrument for data analysis. Data was collected from the Twitter account @aniesbaswedan from October to December 2022 and previous studies. The research results indicate that the nuances can demonstrate indicators of the consistency of the politicization of religion through multimodal content, such as text, images, video, audio, and animation. The multimodal aspect can frame politics with an intriguing blend of religious attributes to obtain responses from netizens. Media convergence also stimulates interactive communication between netizens with others. In conclusion, politicians implement religious symbols to increase netizens' response in its campaign.

Nurturing youth film literacy: Post-qualitative arts-based inquiry into critical self-awareness

Post-digital, as a timeframe set, raises specific concerns for young adults engaged in artistic and cultural activities, seeking to establish a sustainable livelihood within a semi-rural South African context. They grapple with issues such as determining their positionality within a world marked by fading boundaries between the physical and digital. To better understand the post-digital impact on experiential learning opportunities for young adults, the authors explored the specific ways and extent to which active engagement in shortfilm-making contributes to developing critical self-awareness among the participating post-school youth. An assemblage of transformative theories and concepts, rather than pre-determined methodologies, guided this inquiry that extended beyond the development of career and workplace competencies. The strengths of spaciousness and in-between boundary positions provided by the spider’s thread metaphor served as a useful methodological tool. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional discourse and content analysis, multimodal discourse analysis in combination with a modified, six-category measuring instrument was used to explore (analyse) the evidence (data) created as products of active participant engagement in a shortfilm-making project, over a 10-month period in 2020. Findings revealed that, for the participants, it was by moving from physical self-centred understandings of reality to experiential creations of authentic reality (shortfilm-productions) and involving an expanded awareness of those alternative possibilities that nurtured their potential transpersonal growth.Transdisciplinary Contribution: A synthesis of arts-based, post-qualitative and developmental phenomenographic approaches was employed to create, explore and communicate evidence in ways that present a holistic picture of alternative pathways to knowledge production.

Surviving covid-19: a multimodal discourse analysis of new media covid-19 vaccination-related pictorials

Abstract This paper explores the communicative acts deployed in covid-19 vaccination-related pictorials circulated on digital media platforms. Seven internet images were purposively sampled with a view to exploring their communicative functions as well as their generic structure. The data, which were culled from the websites of the World Health Organisation, Centre for Disease Control, Pan American Health Organisation and Facebook, were subjected to qualitative analysis. The study deployed van Leeuwen’s Multimodal Discourse Analysis and Yuen’s Generic Structure Potential as theoretical anchor. The multimodal communicative acts are deployed for instructive, illustrative, informative, persuasive, inviting and advisory purposes. Categories such as Lead, Emblem, Announcement and Enhancer are compulsory in the data while Display, Tag and Call-and-Visit Information are non-compulsory elements. This can be catalogued as: ‘Lead^(Display)^Emblem^(Announcement)^(Enhancer)^(Tag)^(Call-and-Visit Information)’. The study contends that the various semiotic resources deployed in the internet-circulated covid-19 images are used not only for informative and other communicative purposes but also to evoke attitudinal change towards and encourage widespread acceptance of the covid-19 vaccines.

Optimization of regional cultural modern liquor packaging design based on computer vision algorithm

<p>In alcohol packaging, graphics, colors and text are social symbols. This article first uses the relevant principles of visual grammar to conduct a multimodal discourse analysis on the packaging pattern of Fen Liquor blue and white vases from multiple angles. Then, this paper uses human visual characteristics to improve product packaging styling effects. At the same time, a Gaussian filter is used to denoise the noisy wine packaging image, and then the image is used as an input image for grayscale transformation to obtain the guidance image. Research shows that in the multimodal discourse of Fen Liquor blue and white bottles, various forms such as images, text and colors can constitute and convey product information, mapping the history and culture of the product. This stimulates consumers’ visual senses and arouses consumers’ spiritual resonance to achieve the goal of promoting consumption.</p>