Though the discussions in sections MM2 through MM5 each focused on a single mode, many of the examples in those sections were actually multimodal texts—texts that communicate with some combination of written words, static images, moving images, and sound. Look back at the brochure (image b) in MM2-a. The discussion in the text focuses on how words are arranged in different types of documents, but the brochure includes images as well. This section addresses analyzing different modes together in a multimodal composition, a task that is not as daunting as it may seem. On some level, you think about multimodal texts every day, simply because most texts are multimodal. Recipes and food packaging often include words and images. Television commercials usually include words, sound, and moving images. Even children’s books, with words and illustrations, are multimodal.
When you start to look critically at multimodal texts, consider the questions in the chart at the top of the next page.
Genre
What kind of multimodal composition is it? An article with words and images, for example? A short film with sound and moving images?
Features
What modes (written words, sound, static images, moving images) are present in the composition? How does each mode work individually? How do the modes work together?
Purpose and audience
What is the purpose of the multimodal composition? Is it intended to provide information or argue a case, for example?
Who is the intended audience? The general public? Teenagers? Retirees? Professionals in a particular field?
Meaning
How do genre, features, purpose, and audience work together to convey a message in the multimodal composition? How do you interpret the combined effect of the modes used in the composition? (Keep in mind that your interpretation—your take on the meaning—may differ from the composer’s intended message.)