A Visual Grammar-based Study On Cultural Presentation In The Illustrations Of Senior English Textbooks Of FLTRP(2019 Edition)

This study focuses on the cultural content in the illustrations of the senior high school English textbook of FLTRP(2019),draws on Moran’s(2009)theory of culture classification and Weng Yeqiu’s(2022)classification of Chinese culture based on textbook analysis,and takes the visual grammar theory as the analysis framework of this study.The research questions are:(1)What cultural content does the illustrations of FLTRP(2019)senior high school English textbook present?(2)From the perspective of visual grammar theory,how are cultural illustrations presented in FLTRP’s(2019 edition)senior high school English textbooks?In an attempt to solve these problems,this study conducts analysis of textbook illustrations,classifies culture illustrations into five kinds of cultural presentations: cultural figures,cultural products,cultural practices,cultural information,and cultural communities,and analyzes their presentation methods using visual grammar theory.The results of the analysis are as follows.In terms of culture illustrations,the number of Chinese cultural element illustrations has witnessed sharp increases compared to that in previous textbooks,but most of the illustrations concerning Chinese cultural elements are presented in the sections intended for introductions and relevant exercises.Besides,the gender proportion of male and female cultural figures is not well balanced,with the number of male cultural figures accounting for the most part,and the proportion of the female counterparts being obviously low,which shows there exists a gender imbalance between male and female cultural figures in illustrations.Furthermore,a wide range of occupations of cultural figures are involved,but the occupation categories of cultural figures are not evenly presented in the textbooks.Meanwhile,the number of illustrations concerning food takes the lead in cultural products.In terms of visual grammar analysis,the quantity distribution of conceptual representation illustrations and narrative representation illustrations is basically the same.On the whole,illustrations featuring information-presenting,medium and long distances,horizontal perspectives and high modality are mostly presented.From the angle of composition,illustrations with the central core information,high significance,and line isolation are mainly presented.Based on the above research conclusions,this study gives reasonable suggestions.Suggestions for textbook illustration editors are as follows.First,the gender ratio of cultural figures should be considered when selecting materials for textbook illustrations.Second,the balance of the distribution of cultural figures’ professional fields should be taken into account in the selection of teaching material illustrations.Third,the information of textbook illustrations should be clearly marked in the design process of textbook illustrations.Fourth,in the process of compiling textbooks,Chinese cultural elements should continue to be optimized and Chinese traditional culture and ethnic cultural elements should be highlighted.Suggestions for teachers to implement illustration culture teaching include: First,teachers should fully explore the cultural resources hidden behind illustrations in classroom teaching and carry out cultural teaching.Second,teachers should cultivate students’ image decoding ability from the perspective of visual grammar theory.