Multimodal Discourse Analysis

Multimodal discourse analysis (MDA), first proposed by the international SF linguists Kress and van Leeuwen in the mid of the 1990s, is a highly systematically theoretical framework for investigating different modes at the multimodal level. It is used to analyze multimodal discourses with respect to representational meaning, interactive meaning and compositional meaning based on Halliday's ideational function, interpersonal function and textual function. Representational meaning represents the depicted images and their relations in a world outside the representational system by means of transitory or relatively timeless processes. Interactive meaning is concerned with the complex set of imaginary relations regarding image act that can exist between images and the viewers by means of human gaze, depicted social distance, horizontal or vertical perspective and degrees of modality. Compositional meaning is made to link the representational and interactive elements together so as to constitute an integrated and meaningful whole in the light of information value, salience and framing.This thesis, exemplified by 23 Chinese car advertisements, is mainly expected to illustrate the newly-established theory of MDA to the readers and then testify the adaptability and usefulness of theory of MDA developed by Kress and van Leeuwen in the analysis of Chinese car advertisements. It is then found that compared with other researching approaches, Kress and van Leeuwen's theory of MDA serves as a new theoretical basis to discourse analysis, breaking the barrier between verbal language and visual images by regarding all of the modes as equal elements in the mutual social semiotic system, which provides a new angle to discourse analysis and extends the research area in the field of linguistics and makes discourse analysis become more complex, from monomodally verbal analysis to multimodally visual images, from static to more dynamic and convergent status. From perspective of car advertisements within the framework of MDA, the advertisement producers take advantage of the exquisite combination of different ways and modes, such as distinctive slogan, detailed illustration of the characters, particular badge, different car modes, various facilities of a car and computer skill so as to produce an effect of image act by representing the most salient characters of the car to the viewer and create certain imaginary relations between the cars and the viewers. So far, through the illustration of MDA by taking Chinese car advertisements as examples, it is clearly suggested that the theory of MDA which is culturally specific to western culture originally can also be successfully applied to the analysis of Chinese car advertisements, which contributes to extending the research area in the field of linguistics.The findings of the present paper related to the MDA approach to car advertising discourse will be expected to serve as a certain inspiration and guidance to the development of the future advertising industry. In addition, there is an urgent need in the future for developing multimodality into other fields so that the multimodal thought will benefit more research areas from a multidimensional and more comprehensive perspective.