A Positive Study Of Multimodal Discourse In College English Teaching

With the remarkable development of the multi-media and computer technology, multimodal discourse analysis rising in the1990s has become a trending topic in linguistic research at home and abroad. Multimodal discourse is known as the discourse that realize the purpose of communication through the interaction of different semiotic modes which include language, dynamic and static visual images, music, sound, electronic media, film, print etc.The development of multimodal discourse analysis has been meaningful for language teaching. Although traditional teaching has realized multimodal teaching, new technologies provide more ways to realize multimodality in class. With the integrated multimodal resources in English teaching process, quality of teaching can be improved. Besides, learners can apply and experience different modalities, which will improve learners’multimodal literacies. Multimodality could also foster the students’social adaptation, which helps them meet the challenges from the economic globalization and cultural diversity.Social semiotics and systemic functional linguistics provide theoretical basis for multimodality discourse analysis, meanwhile, social semiotics and systemic functional linguistics are regarded as the tools for multimodal discourse analysis. Besides, Halliday’s meta-function serves as analyzing method for multimodal discourse analysis. The interaction of semiotic resources can generate ideational meaning, construct interpersonal meaning, as well as realize textual meaning. Constructivism believes that knowledge is not received passively but built up by cognizing, and the process of learning is active. Therefore, meaning making is realized through the interaction of semiotic resources by students, in this process, teaching objectives are achieved.This thesis takes the qualitative comparative method to research four representative teaching contest discourses from the first SELEP National College English Teaching for the study. Within the framework of systemic functional linguistics, the thesis analyzes multimodal discourse in college English teaching from the following aspects:In the first three chapters, the thesis presents the definition of multimodal discourse analysis and related research status. In chapter Five, the thesis analyzes the typical English teaching contest discourses from the perspectives of the selected modalities and how they are interacting with each other, the respective teaching phase analysis and the designed activity analysis. Based on chapter Five, the thesis arrives at a conclusion that the teacher chooses different modalities in class according to different teaching objectives, teaching content, and teaching objects. Meanwhile, the thesis summarizes some problems and deficiencies in college English teaching. In chapter Six, the thesis provides some suggestions to realize multimodal discourse in college English teaching. Therefore, this research is not only meaningful in theory but significant in practice.On the basis of the researches at home and abroad, the thesis tries to find some suggestions for designing multimodal discourse which adapt to college English teaching environment to improve the effect of college English teaching from a theoretical as well as practical aspect.