At the crossroads of Verbal and Non-Verbal: Towards Critical Multimodal Awareness in Education

This article is the presentation of a multimodal analysis carried out on the print advertisements of a campaign centred around the issue of energy. The main aim of the paper is to analyse how the interaction between images and written language creates complex layers of meanings in the advertising message and how the different affordances of verbal and visual communication are exploited to enhance the message of the ad, multiply the layers of meanings and create a polysemous message that can be construed in different ways by different groups of stakeholders . Another aim of this study is to analyse to what extent the logics of the two modes of communication interact and coherently blend in a multiplicity of possible interpretations, or interact and reveal inconsistencies. The main hypothesis on which the study is based is that different modes of communication tend to combine in ways which reinforce the impact of complex messages on the viewer/reader and therefore the main claim of the ad. The hypothesis derived from this is that the main claim of the ad is at its most effective when the visual and verbal logics combine with affordances which are compatible and the multiplicity of possible interpretations appear coherent and contribute to the blending of different types of discourse, with the result that ‘hybridization’ of discourses (see below) appears ‘natural’ and seamless.