Day 4 of ELC training saw the move from micro-analytical approaches to naturally occurring interaction to – deep breaths – multimodal and social semiotic approaches to texts. In an attempt to rethink what interaction is/does – and hence to move away from the written or spoken text as the nexus of analysis – multimodality studies how people orchestrate meaning through their configuration of modes. Modes (speech, gestures) are socially shaped media and material which, over time, have become meaning making resources and practices. Is that theoretical enough for you?
Picture by Bittercox
