Multimodal argumentation: Beyond the verbal/visual divide

Abstract

What would the consequences be for the interpretation and analysis of arguments if we were to accept that communication, within which arguments are produced and interpreted, involves the intricate use of more than just the verbal mode? In this paper, I discuss the shortcomings of the conception of argument as a purely verbal phenomenon and of the mere juxtaposition of the visual argument to the verbal, as suggested in the discourses of the sceptics and the advocates and of “visual” argument, respectively. Instead I propose a multimodal perspective on the analysis of argumentative discourse, according to which there is no a priori division of labor between the verbal and the visual mode, and attention is paid both to the (verbal and visual) content and to the (verbal and visual) style. In this view, argument is neither verbal nor visual, since argument is not to be defined on the basis of the verbal, visual or other semiotic means by which it is realized in communication. As a case in point, I analyze an ad campaign for the promotion of the British newspaper The Guardian in the United States.

Student evaluations of the credibility and argumentation of online sources

“…The multimodality of the video may have helped the students to understand its content and analyze it (see Lee & List, 2019). Tseronis (2018) states that visuals and other nonverbal means can be seen as argumentatively relevant because they can simply depict the argument, or elements of the propositions that constitute the argument, and convey the meaning of the source in more diverse ways than are possible with plain text.…”

Students’ Interpretations of a Persuasive Multimodal Video About Vaccines

“…Multimodality, and more specifically, a social semiotics perspective (Kress, 2010), was employed to analyze the video that students watched and to examine how they interpreted the role of different modes in meaning-making. Multimodal text processing (Magliano et al, 2013; Verhoeven & Perfetti, 2008) and multimodal argumentation (Tseronis, 2018) were used to examine students’ different interpretations of the main message in the video, especially in terms of the main arguments advanced through the use of multiple modes. Multimodal text processing was also utilized to understand the role of topic knowledge in meaning-making.…”

“…Although the verbal mode has been dominant in argumentation research, multimodal argumentation has begun to interest researchers (Blair, 2015; Howell et al, 2017; Kjeldsen, 2015). In multimodal argumentation, nonverbal and verbal modes can contribute directly or indirectly to conveying an argument (Tseronis, 2018). Because argumentative messages may include elements that bear symbolic or intertextual meanings, readers play an active role in reconstructing the argument by interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues (Kjeldsen, 2016).…”

“…Because argumentative messages may include elements that bear symbolic or intertextual meanings, readers play an active role in reconstructing the argument by interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues (Kjeldsen, 2016). For example, in addition to their content, visuals can contribute to argumentation through color, framing, arrangement, or form (Tseronis, 2018). Students’ skills in analyzing and producing argumentative monomodal texts have been extensively studied over recent decades (for a review, see Newell et al, 2011).…”

Weapons, fire and dangerous men: multimodal argumentation of magazine covers featuring president Donald J. Trump

“…. For further discussion on the possibilities and limitations of visual arguments, see for exampleTseronis (2018b) andKjeldsen (2018).…”