Genre, Discourse and Multimodality Essay Example

Genre, Discourse and Multimodality

Introduction

In this textual analysis, various concepts are used to analyse different aspects of the text. The elements that are designed into the text are analysed as part of the medium and design characteristics of the text. The typical patterns of consumption that are present in the text and their impact are also examined. This section is followed by a brief examination of the purpose of the text. A detailed analysis of the interpersonal meanings that are evident in the text is then presented. A description of the key participants, processes and circumstances that are present in the language of the text is finally presented in this analysis.

Medium and Design

The text is presented in the form of a print text. It contains images and text. The text is presented in different colours. Similarly, the images that are embedded in the text are in different colours. There are text boxes that are used to highlight specific parts of the text. Mostly, the text boxes are used to present detailed descriptions about specific images or other aspects of the text. The text in the text boxes are presented in different fonts and colours. Also, the text is presented using various font sizes and typefaces. The fonts are presented in upper and lower case. Moreover, some parts of the text are in bold for emphasis. Few images are included in the text. The images are in various colours and are placed in various parts of the text. The entire text is presented on a typical web page format.

Various elements have been designed into the text. First, there are specific images that have been incorporated in the text. The images are computer-generated and have been unevenly spread in the text. In general, images can be used to enhance content on online newspapers (Knox 146). In this case, the text uses various forms of images for illustrating specific aspects of the text and providing additional information. Moreover, the images are meant to present specific information that is complemented by descriptive text.

The author chooses the design of the text. However, the author is expected to present the text in a way, given that the text appeared on a web page. For example, the author is required to present the text in a way that is visually appealing to individuals who consume online content. In general, consumers of online content require that the content be presented in a visually appealing way so that they can browse through the content fast and get all the information that they need. In this case, the text is presented in a visually appealing way and in a way that allows users to browse through it fast and get all the important information that they need within the shortest time possible.

Production and Consumption

Drawings are used in the text. The main purpose of incorporating drawings in the text is to make the text visually appealing and communicate fast the information that is intended for the online audience. The text uses drawings that are computer-generated. The drawing of the proposed wall is a depiction of how the wall could possibly look like and this is indicated in the descriptive text. A photograph of the map depicting parts of Mexico and the United States is also used in the text. Some of the most common production constraints that were experienced while producing the text include the impossibility of using actual photos of the wall and the difficulty in portraying the maps of Mexico and the United States.

The text is intended for the general audience. There are several reasons to support this position. First, the text is presented in the form of words and visual aspects. The use of visual and textual aspects in the text is meant to help the readers read through the text fast and get all the information that they need. The text uses different colours to make it visually appealing. Some fonts are presented in red, others in blue and others in black. Also, some textboxes that are incorporated in the text in different colours so that they can easily capture the attention of the reader. The second reason why the text was produced for the general audience is that it is relatively short but packed with a lot of technical information about the proposed wall. The technical information is related to details on how the wall could be built, the overall costs of the labour that could be involved and the total amount money that the entire project would cost. All these details are presented in a relatively short text so that readers can access them within a short time.

The text is supposed to provide technical details about the cost of the wall to the general readership. The text is meant for the adults who read both the online and print version of papers. The text can be comfortably printed on a typical print newspaper page. Also, the text can be comfortably presented on an online page of a newspaper or any internet news outlet site.

The purpose of the text is to provide detailed information about the costs of building the proposed wall along the Mexican-US border. The text provides information about the cost of building the wall in a highly interactive manner. The presentation is done in a way that is non-technical in nature. The text contains figures and other special attributes to enhance the message. These special attributes are meant to help the reader comprehend the various aspects of the wall in terms of cost, appearance and other technical features.

The essence of textual analysis is to evaluate a text against set standards to determine its kind, assess its overall quality and judge its performance against the set standards (Krippendorff 58). In practice, the process of analysing text follows specific set processes within a controlled environment (Zhang and Wildemuth 1). It follows that one of the most important steps in the process of analysing text is to determine the genre to which the text belongs. In this case, the text belongs to the information genre. The language that is used in the text shows that the main purpose of the report is to provide detailed information about the cost of building the border wall.

The text contains two important elements that enhance its informational nature: descriptions and narratives. Detailed descriptions of various aspects of the proposed wall are provided in the text. The descriptive parts are organised in short stand-alone paragraphs. The paragraphs have short titles written in bold or capital letters. Narratives are presented in the form of anecdotes. The anecdotes are contained in small text boxes that are spread throughout the text. In most cases, the text boxes that contain short narratives about aspects of the text are set against the visual image of a map depicting the border regions of Mexico and the United States of America. The first text box, which is positioned on the top left side of the text, is titled, ‘Approximate length of wall.’ The second text box that contains another anecdote is positioned on the top right part of the text and has the following title, ‘Rio Grande.’

Interpersonal Meanings

The text uses language that is generally objective, factual and neutral as opposed to language that is subjective, speculative and evaluative. The objectivity of the language of the text is seen in the way the verbal aspects of the text contain descriptions of the possible appearance of the wall and the process of building it. The text does not use first person pronoun forms such as ‘I’ or ‘we.’ The narrative or verbal aspects of the text are presented using the third person voice. The use of objective language suits the main purpose of the text which is to provide to the audience information about the proposed wall. The text also uses factual and neutral language to communicate technical details about the proposed wall to the audience.

The visual semiotic resources work together with the interpersonal meanings in the language of the text. In general, this is a 2-dimensional visual multimodal text in which the information is provided using verbal and visual elements. The visual and verbal modes in this kind of text normally complement each other (Bowcher n.pag). Moreover, the complementarity of these two aspects of the text normally enhances the interpersonal meanings of the text. For example, it is noted that multimodal texts use various aspects to communicate specific information within the confines of a situation but in relation to the larger society (Chen 485). Moreover, Royce notes that using the Hallidayan model of textual analysis, the visual and verbal semiotic aspects of a multimodal text enhance the interpersonal, ideational and textual meanings of the text (27).

The visual aspects of the text are intimate, objective and neutral. The level of intimacy, objectivity and neutrality of the images is based on their presentation, positioning and overall appearance as part of the text. Bednarek and Caple use the concept of firsts to evaluate the informational value of images in texts (164). Bednarek and Caple further argue that in languages in which writing is done from the left-hand side to the right-hand side, an on-page 2-dimensional multimodal text can be evaluated by considering the position of the visual aspects of the text (165). This observation implies that visual aspects that are positioned on the right-hand side of a text can be interpreted as more important or meaningful than those that are positioned on the left-hand side of the text. Similarly, it can be interpreted that images located at the top of the text are relatively more important than those that are at the bottom of the text. In this text, the textbox with the title, ‘Approximate extent of the wall’ and the wall are located on the right-hand side of the text and can therefore be interpreted as more meaningful than the other images located on the left-hand side. Also, the map of parts of Mexico can be interpreted as more meaningful to the audience than the other images located at the bottom of the text.

Experiential Meanings

Participants, processes and circumstances in text enhance the experiential meanings of the text (Fairclough 141). These aspects enhance the experiential meaning of texts in various ways. For example, the many types of processes, which include behavioural, mental and relational, enhance the meaning of the text by showing the relationship between the circumstances and the participants in the text (Haratyan 260; Stillar 65). In other words, participants, processes and circumstances in text are intertwined. Also, the everyday language that is used in the text contributes to its political meaning. The technical details of the proposed wall are presented in everyday language to help the common reader grasp the political implication of the proposed wall.

The main participant that can be identified in the text is ‘the wall.’ The wall is referred to as a concrete object. Second the processes that are found in the text are in the form or relational language. Relational language is seen in the way the future building of the wall is described in the text. The circumstances in the text are depicted in two ways. First, the construction of the wall is to be conducted in the future. Therefore, in terms of time, the processes described in the text are to occur in the future. Second, circumstance is indicated in the text in the form of a map or parts of Mexico and the United States. The map indicates the possible location of the proposed wall.

Conclusion

The text is a typical 2-dimensional multimodal text presented on a page. The main language resources used in the text are verbal and visual. Verbal resources are in the form of short narratives about processes that are set to be conducted in the future. The visual resources in the text are images of the proposed wall, a map indicating sections of the United States and Mexico and other images. The text carries interpersonal and experiential meanings. The language resources enhance the overall meaning of the text because they complement each other.

Works Cited

Bednarek, M. and H. Caple. New Discourse. London: Continuum. (2007). Print.

Bowcher, Wendy L. Multimodal Texts from Around the World: Cultural and Linguistic Insights. London: Springer (2012). Web.

Chen, Y. ‘Exploring Dialogic Engagement with Readers in Multimodal EFL Textbooks in China.’ Visual Communication. 9.4. (2010): 485-506. Print.

Fairclough, Norman. Analysing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. London: Psychology Press. (2003). Web.

Haratyan, Farzaneh. ‘Halliday’s SFL and Social Meaning.’ IPEDR. 17. (2011): 260-264. Web. 3 June 2017. http://www.ipedr.com/vol17/49-CHHSS%202011-H10074.pdf

Knox, J. S. ‘Punctuating the Home Page: Image as Language in Online Newspaper.’ Discourse and Communication, 3.2. (2009): 145-172. Print.

Kripperndorff, Klaus. Content analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. London: Sage. (2012). Print.

Royce, Terry D. ‘Synergy on the Page: Exploring Intersemiotic Complementarity in Page-Based Multimodal Text.’ JASFL Occasional Papers. 1.1. (1998): 25-49. Print.

Stillar, Glenn. Analyzing everyday texts: Discourse, Rhetoric and Social Perspective. London: Sage. (1998). Web.

Zhang, Yan and Barbara M. Wildemuth, ‘Qualitative Analysis of Content.’ (2012). Web. 2 June 2017. https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~yanz/Content_analysis.pdf