Semiotic work : Applied Linguistics and a social semiotic account of Multimodality
Applied Linguistics and a social semiotic account of Multimodality

<jats:p>This article imagines a tussle between Multimodality, focused on ‘modes’, and Applied Linguistics (AL), based on ‘language’. A Social Semiotic approach to MM treats<jats:italic>speech</jats:italic>and<jats:italic>writing</jats:italic>as modes with distinct affordances, and, as all modes, treats them as ‘partial’ means of communication. The implications of<jats:italic>partiality</jats:italic>confound long-held assumptions of the sufficiency of ‘language’ for all communicational needs: an assumption shared by AL. Given MM’s plurality of modes and the diversity of audiences,<jats:italic>design</jats:italic>moves into focus, with a shift from competent performance to<jats:italic>apt design</jats:italic>. Principles of composition — e.g.<jats:italic>linearity</jats:italic>versus<jats:italic>modularity</jats:italic>— become crucial, raising the question at the heart of this paper: how do AL and MM deal with the shape of the contemporary semiotic landscape?</jats:p>