Multimodality

While it is crystal clear that communication can draw on many semiotic resources, research in the humanities has hitherto strongly focused on its verbal manifestations. “Multimodality” labels a variety of approaches and theories trying to remedy this bias by investigating how for instance visuals, music, and sound contribute to meaning-making. The contours of what is developing into a new discipline begin to be discernible. This chapter provides a brief survey of various perspectives on multimodality, addresses the thorny issue of what should count as a mode, and makes suggestions for further development of the fledgling discipline.