A Study On The Construction Of The Multimodal Representation Of Meaning In The Digitalised Dictionary

The thesis is an exploration of the construction of the multimodal meaning representation in the digitalised dictionary.Multimodality,as a title,has been found in the lexicographical studies,though,most of which have been focused and have elaborated on the application of some given modality;yet they have been indifferent to the fundamental issues such as “the characteristics of multimodality” and “the reason why multimodality can be involved in meaning representation”.It shall be noted that as a digital resource,the involvement of multimodality in the representation of meaning undoubtedly provides a new potential to meaning description and indication of the dictionary in the era of digitalisation.The broad notion “modality” is specified and categorised into three types that are related both to the representation of meaning and to the digitalised dictionary in the discussion of multimodality in lexicographical context;namely,the cognitive modality,the semiotic modality,and the representational modality.This generalisation per se is an explanation of the question that why multimodality can be utilised in the representation of meaning in the digitalised dictionary.Meanwhile,starting from the function of meaning construction on the part of the modality,this thesis identifies three characteristics of multimodality,and they are: the equality of the modalities,the unidenticalness of meaning indication on the part of the modalities,and the socialisedness of the modalities.The multimodal lexicographical text,regarded as the core element of the multimodal dictionary,is examined in detail in the aspect of characteristics,constitution,and organisation respectively.The feasibility of the multimodal representation of meaning is considered from the perspective of language instruction,acquisition,and cognition.And the theories originated from the perspectives mention above provide support to the varied degrees for the construction of the theoretical framework of the multimodal meaning representation,in which Meaning Driven Theory,Multiliteracies,input enhancement and multimodal interaction are integrated.The ways of representation are generalised into two types by citing living lexicographical examples: multimodal concurrence and multimodal complementarity,each having several detailed means from four to five.The means of multimodal concurrence are equivalence,exposition,exemplification,and homospatiality;and those of multimodal complementarity are extension,enhancement,projection,metonymy,and metaphor.Based on this theoretical framework,the working mechanism of the multimodal representation of meaning in the digitalised dictionary is eventually figured out,and the system of the multimodal representation of meaning is constructed as well as some sample multimodal entries of different word classes.The essential core of the multimodal representation of meaning is the disclosure of the semantic information rich and varied in diverse aspects of the lexical unit via the interaction among modalities.Multimodal meaning representation multiplies the dimension of meaning indication under the umbrella of Meaning Driven Theory,and is a practical embodiment of dimensional definition.Multimodality is not only the means of meaning representation,but also a construct of conception in terms of the indication of meaning in the digitalised lexicography.