MULTIMODALITY IN CONTEMPORARY COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Communication and representation have always been about more than language. Since the times of Ancient Greece and Rome people have been sure that language is not the only tool of communication. This means that there are more factors involved in and contributing to successful and productive interaction. The role of language is invaluable, however, spatial, aural and visual aspects of communication should not be overlooked or underestimated. Multimodality is about the choices of modes and the social effect produced by the mentioned aspects of communication. Modern technologies directly influence multimodality offering new and newly emerging modes or meaning-making resources. Thus, this paper focuses on illustrating contemporary communication realized through more than one mode or, in other words, multimodal ensemble. The article reveals the fact that each mode can add something special to the meaning and its perception that others cannot. It presents a thorough study of mode, multimodality and its key concepts as well as the interrelation between multimodality and new digital technology. The article also highlights the factors contributing to the enhancement of meaning and provides examples that are meticulously discussed through Case Study and Multimodal Analysis methodology to discover all the modes and media resources applied to the creation of meaning.