Critical Media Analysis

A Comparative Analysis of Multimodal Native Cultural Content in English-Language Textbooks in China and Mongolia

“…These pictures play one of the five roles of pictures discussed in Chapelle (2016), namely general orientation. However, as Stocchetti (2011) points out, these visual elements also construct meaning within a particular context. The category ranking second in Big ''C'' is dress/style, including traditional Mongolian costumes (see the traditional hat in Figure 2a), though there are fewer such pictures than there are images depicting modern dress worn by students (n = 3 vs. n = 19).…”

“…Multimodal content plays a significant role in today's EFL classrooms, creating spatial and political dimensions and communicating rich meanings (Chapelle, 2016;Stocchetti, 2011). As the most critical stakeholders who use language textbooks nowadays, teachers and learners also use all kinds of available semiotic resources whose roles, usage, and effects on users need to be further understood.…”

“…Mainland China has enacted several new policies covering textbooks in three subjects, aiming to uphold students' cultural identity, and EFL textbooks have not yet been covered. Even considering the visual elements alone, independent of the text (Chapelle, 2016), the learners can still make meaning to create a complete native cultural space with comprehensive cognitive dimensions (Stocchetti, 2011). The SEP compilers can refer to the MME textbooks, which present learners with a diverse native culture and a multicultural world to develop their cultural awareness.…”

“…Chapelle (2016) created several terms to describe the five essential roles of pictures in foreign language textbooks: task essential, text enhancing, generally orienting, theme building, and independent. Still, images alone can also create spatial and political dimensions, and the use of visual elements equates to the communication of meaning (Stocchetti, 2011). Therefore, textbook studies should also stress multimodal content about culture and notice the influence and complexity of visual elements.…”

When the media meet: Problems and promises of EU–China dialogue in the journalistic sphere

“…As economic and political interactions between Europe and China are becoming increasingly dense, it is essential that the media, as the so-called ‘Fourth Estate’, are not left out and also benefit from repeated, in-depth dialogue opportunities. Given that today’s world experience has become much more mediated than in the past, media’s participation in the social construction of reality makes them crucial conduits of information (Stocchetti and Kukkonen, 2011) and their potential to influence foreign policy decision-making processes and country branding—the so-called ‘CNN effect’ (Zhang, 2011)—needs to be explored further.…”