Multi-modal Discourse Analysis Of The Winning Works Of The Postgraduate Chinese Micro-lecture Contest

Multi-modal videos,in particular,micro-lectures have increasingly attracted the attention of scholars in the field of international Chinese education,for their brevity,clarity,variety,and convenience.Remarkable micro-lecture works are becoming one of the most effective teaching resources.Via a case study of the winning micro-lectures of the 3rd National Postgraduate Micro-lecture Competition,the present paper analyzes in detail the modal signs and modal relationships thereof,while taking into consideration the comments these micro-lectures had received and the evaluation standards of the competition.It finds that first,in terms of auditory signs,most of the micro-lecture teachers speak at a moderate speed with standard accent,while at the same time others have problems of inappropriate speech speed and non-standard accent;also,voice-overs of some micro-lectures tend to be problematic as well,with sometimes noisy background music.Second,in terms of visual signs,most of the micro-lecture works are equipped with Chinese and English subtitles,and various modes such as pictures and animations are used to achieve teaching goals.But the font,size and color of certain PowerPoint slides,translation validity,language accuracy,and the excessive use animation need further improving.In order to examine the modal relationship and meaning construction of the micro-lecture works,this paper selects two winning micro-lectures in the competition.It compares the similarities and differences in the modal cooperation between the two,and conducts a statistical analysis of the modal relationship.The study finds that the cooperation between modal signs in excellent micro-lecture works is based on the principle of increasing positive effects,such as coordination,union,and prominence;the variety of modalities are closely interrelated,connected and coordinated.The modalities need to integrate and interact through technical means to jointly convey the overall meaning of the micro-lecture to the audience.Finally,in view of the problems existing in micro-lecture works,this paper puts forward corresponding suggestions for improvement,hoping to help front-line Chinese teachers in the process of micro-lecture design,from spontaneous to conscious use of modal signs,give full play to the advantages of various modal signs,and promote the construction of high-quality online micro-course resources.