#multimodal discourse

The study identifies the multimodal discourse features of selected cartoons from TELL newsmagazine. It analyses the features of multimodal discourse in the cartoons, discusses the manners of their deployment in the cartoons and relates the features to the contexts in which they were applied. These are done with a view to discovering their intended implicating messages, especially in the visual images. The study employs both primary and secondary data. The primary data are drawn from cartoons of TELL newsmagazine in Nigeria, while the secondary data are obtained from books, journal articles and the internet. The data are analysed using the frameworks of Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) as explicated by Gunther Kress and Theo Van Leeuwen 2001. The paper concludes that the cartoons are deployed to enhance easy understanding and comprehension of the messages on sensitive political issues.

Author(s) Details

 Ariyo, Kayode Samuel

Department of Languages, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

 Read full article: http://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/view/86/1219/853-1              

Reasons why people purchase capsule toys 

Discourse often refers to written or spoken communication, however it can also be applied to semiology, visual cues, and sound as well. With this, the definition is reformed to what is called “multimodal discourse,” where according to O’Halloran, communication is analysed through various forms, often more than one. (S. & L., 2014) Along with this, Michael Halliday also refers to discourse as something more than a language, rather it refers to a context of a certain place in society. (Carling, n.d.) Having this in mind, what contexts are capsule toys created from in Japan, and why do users buy them? Although it’s easy to understand why cat keychains are created given the popularity of cats on the internet, toys like mushroom woman shown below are more puzzling.

From a cultural standpoint, these capsule toy machines can be easily related to vending machines. Both require money to be inputted for a product to come out. Neither need a large amount of maintenance, and both are easily refillable. The reason for the abundance of these two machines can be attributed to the same sources. First of all, the cost of labor in Japan is very high, (Jacobs, 2017)  the independence in vending and capsule toy machines both help reduce costs, and the space taken for each machine is also very little, adding to the fact. Second, Japan is a cashed based society. (Jacobs, 2017) Japan has many coins in their system, going from 10 yen to 500 yen. With all the leftover change, an easy way to get rid of it are through these machines.

Majority of capsule toy machines are often fueled by the entertainment industry, namely from anime and manga. Many of these often dispend figures, keychains, or other miscellaneous items, relating to a specific character, as can be seen below. Since anime and manga are both highly ingrained in Japan and are seen by both children and adults, it’s easy to see why people buy them. Another large majority of capsule toys comes from the “cute” trend. Similar to how people enjoy looking at puppies or cats on the internet, the “cute” trend in Japan manages to produce many products and styles which range from makeup, clothes, and even handwriting. (Bennett, 2011) Of course, this also includes capsule toys, and these will often include animals and foods.  

Although there are other categories, these capsule toys create a niche for people who enjoy these products. For example, a person who thoroughly enjoys cute things will most likely buy capsule toys relating to that, and same goes for people who are interested in certain animes, or even types of food. With these items, people can express themselves and communicate to others their interests and likes. As can be seen below, here is an example of a phone decorated with cute keychains. From a glance, it’s easy to tell what a person could be like based off of these charms.

References

Bennett, C. (2011, November 18). It's all Kawaii: Cuteness in Japanese Culture. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/18/its-all-kawaii-cuteness-in-japanese-culture/

Carling, S. (n.d.). Discourse. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/discourse.htm

Jacobs, H. (2017, January 23). Japan's vending machines tell you a lot about the country's culture. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/why-so-many-vending-machines-in-japan-2017-1/#2-high-population-density-and-expensive-real-estate-2

This blog is going to be about graphic language. And I don’t mean that euphemistically.

I have a background in cognitive linguistics and cognitive science and I’m applying that to the study of how people combine words and images to make meaning.

This means that I am studying things like reaction GIFs, emoji and internet memes. Because that’s an actual thing you can get your PhD in.

I really like thinking about indexical links between discursive terms versus terms that relate to acoustic sciences. “[personal background-induced] bias” and “[tape] bias”, for example. I also like paying attention to whether something is an utterance or an etching when analyzing these comparisons.

By “etching,” I mean anything that was produced through transduction of utterance into storage media. Cuneiform indentations into clay tablets, ink on a scroll, needle into wax cylinder, into vinyl, acoustic energy into electromagnetic fields on tape, light energy into sync pulses (that one’s complicated though and is what I’m trying to integrate at this point). That kind of stuff.