An Analysis Of Multimodal Discourse Characteristics Of Junior Middle School English Textbooks Of Jiangsu Edition

Being an important tool for education and cultural transmission, textbook discourse has been an very important research subject for Systemic Functional Linguists. As textbooks have undergone tremendous changes, especially in functions and forms, it is extremely significant to conduct progressive studies on textbook discourse. Numerous scholars have been dedicated to studying textbook discourse. However, few studies have been made on the analysis of multimodal discourse characteristics of Junior Middle School English Textbooks, especially in Jiangsu Edition.To fill in this gap, based on Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar, this paper seeks to investigate multimodal characteristics and analyzes three metafunctions in Junior Middle School English Textbooks discourse of Jiangsu Edition. The research questions in the thesis are as follows:1) What are the multimodal characteristics in Junior Middle School English Textbooks of Jiangsu Edition (in terms of Image, Text, Typography and Layout)? 2) How does the multimodal discourse in Junior Middle School English Textbooks of Jiangsu Edition embody three metafunctions(Representative Metafunction, Interactive Metafunction and Compositional Metafunction) of Visual Grammar?This paper employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative research mainly involves the analysis of the multimodal characteristics in English Textbooks, including Image(Types of image, Proportion of image), Text(Types of Text blocks), Typography(Fonts & Font size, Typographic building) and Layout(Location of image, Relationship between image and text). The qualitative research analyzes the characteristics of multimodal textbook discourse by adopting some typical samples in representing Representative Meaning, Interactive Meaning and Compositional Meaning.Detailed analysis of both quantitative and qualitative research yields the following findings:Firstly, in terms of Image, it is obvious that Cartoon is widely used in English textbooks because it can not only attract students’attention, but also stimulate their interest in learning English. Button/Icon also accounts for a large proportion because it foregrounds the organization of Text as a whole. Moreover, the percentage of Cartoon and Button/Icon is about 9 times as much as the percentage of Photograph and Table/Graph. As to Proportion of Image, Image of less than half a page is used more often in English textbooks. In terms of Text, Running text with highlighted terms such as italics, bold, color, capitalized is more frequently used because Texts with highlighted terms are more appropriate for students’perception. In terms of Typography, Size 3 and Size 4 are used more frequently and San Serif is widely used in titles while Serif (such as Georgia) is mainly applied in texts. In terms of Layout, Location of image on page is irregular and to a certain extent, it is determined by the grids, rather than the information value. Besides, Segregation and Separation account for the most percentage because they can enhance visual effects and make language information more clear.Secondly, based on Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar, this paper annotates twenty-three image samples to analyze Representative Meaning, Interactive Meaning and Compositional Meaning presented in Junior Middle School English Textbooks of Jiangsu Edition. In terms of Representative Meaning, narrative images and conceptual images are both presented in corpus. However, narrative images occupy a dominant proportion because most Images in textbook discourse are intended to present some actions or to carry out communication between the participants and the readers. In terms of Interactive Meaning, it is conveyed through the following ways:visual contact, social distance, attitude and modality. In Junior Middle School English Textbooks of Jiangsu Edition, most participants have eye contact with readers, which show intimate relations between them. Images also present high modality in terms of color saturation and color differentiation. In terms of Compositional Meaning, it is realized by three inter-related systems:information value, salience and framing. Information value is mostly illustrated by elements that belong to left-right and top-bottom categories. As for salience. Images with bigger size and obvious color contrast are more prominent. Generally speaking, the characters are usually foregrounded as the focus in a composition. Framing of different elements in English textbooks is constructed by Segregation, Separation and Overlap. It is found that the Junior Middle School English Textbooks of Jiangsu Edition present high visual multimodality. What’s more, it can be concluded that the combination of the multimodals is more efficient in expressing meaning than the use of only one modal.In light of the findings, this paper has the following pedagogical implications for teachers, students and textbook compilers. For teachers, it is important to understand and analyze the characteristics of multimodal English textbooks. New approaches and methods such as Communicative Language Teaching and Task-based Teaching Methods can be applied appropriately in their teaching processes. For students, they should actively understand the multimodal semiotics and consciously cultivate their own multiliteracy so as to better meet the needs of our society. For textbook compilers, they should revise and update the contents timely and regularly to keep pace with the fast spread of information. The task-designers in English textbooks should pay more attention to developing students’multiliteracy and giving them more autonomous learning space so as to meet the requirement of New Curriculum Standard.