Pragmatics and Multimodal Literacy: Proposing an

Interdisciplinary Approach to Multimodal Matters

Keywords: Pragmatics, Multimodal Literacy, Relevance Theory, Text Analysis

Multimodal texts, i.e. texts combining resources such as language, static/moving

images and sounds, are becoming increasingly important, due to the multiplication of

available media and forms of communication. However, how much do we understand

of how multimodal texts work? Are we trained for this type of communication?

Ultimately, are we multimodally literate? Our theoretical understanding of multimodal

communication is still in its infancy relevant research has recently started to gain

momentum, and literature on the topic has stated the need to understand multimodal

texts, their composition and the way they convey meaning (Mubenga 2009). In

particular, the current literature seems to be moving towards seeing Pragmatics as a

field capable of providing important insights on multimodal matters (Clark 2011; Desilla

2014). In my research, I developed a Pragmatics-based model to analyse real texts

and learn how different textual resources create intersemiotic links, interacting to

convey meaning multimodally (Dicerto 2016, forthcoming). In this presentation, I

introduce my model and argue that a) it can be used to gain a better understanding of

how multimodal texts are organised, and b) this knowledge can be used in turn to

inform multimodal literacy training, much needed for the future generations of

communicators.

References
Clark, B. 2011. Relevance and multimodality Keynote presentation at 'Analysing
Multimodality: Systemic Functional Linguistics meets Pragmatics'. Loughborough
University, September 2011.

Desilla, L. 2014. Reading Between the Lines, Seeing Beyond the Images: an
Empirical Study on the Comprehension of Implicit Film Dialogue Meaning Across
Cultures in The Translator (20:2) pp. 194-214.

Dicerto, S. 2016 (forthcoming). Multimodal Pragmatics and Translation: a New Model.

Palgrave Studies in Translating and Intepreting.

Mubenga, K.S. 2009. Towards a Multimodal Pragmatic Analysis of Film Discourse in

Audiovisual Translation in Translators' Journal (54:3) pp. 466-484.

Biography

Sara Dicerto has recently joined Kings College London as a research associate. She
previously worked at the University of Surrey, researching topics of interpreting for the
EU. Her main research interests concern Multimodality and Pragmatics in Translation
Studies.